I’m thinking……

……..about how this blog has been thoroughly neglected and how I can rectify that. There are so many things going on in my head lately that I should use this blog to explore those. I just end up spending my ‘spare’ time on other things, like writing, mainly. Even my frickin Art therapy diploma is all about writing at the moment! I was given some gorgeous art journals for christmas and they would be perfect for starting my creative journey and exploring ideas in a visual way, but again, I haven’t got time.

I wish I could give up work but yes, like that’s going to happen.

How do other people cope with all this frustration?

Am I really that crap at time management? Am I trying to do too much?

Here’s what I want to do, just an indulgent brainstorm and not in any particular order based on preference:

• art journaling relating to my diploma
• develop my oracle cards into a complete pack and sell them
• keep up to date with my Counselling journal
• take photos everyday and make a blog journal of them instead of just having them on my phone.
• get to do some URBEX
• explore the city where I live
• get pregnant
• buy a house/flat
• decorate current flat and buy more interior stuff that looks like it matches
• The Silent Angels novel
• develop Lee’s story on my Abandoned blogsite and add other features
• write more articles for Birds Become Fishes website (www.birdsbecomefishes.co.uk)
• sort out my facebook page for Birds Become Fishes (www.facebook.com/BirdsBecomeFishes)
• sort out my online shop on Etsy. It has literally got nothing for sale in it. (www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BirdsBecomeFishes)
• do some exercise like jogging
• actually begin the yoga dvd I bought
• find out what foods I am allergic to
• make a ‘dream board’ to attract all these things and get it all out there into our marvelous universe
• find out how to get a job in Canada (the ultimate dream)
• stop making lists because that will mean I am actually achieving some of these things on it!

HELP?!

Anyone? Please? Any advice or words of wisdom as of how to begin going about achieving?

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Everything-You-Want-in-Life:

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Life-Plan

What To Do When There Is Not Enough Time In The Day (a Tip From Tim Ferriss’ First Book)

How to Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed (and Start Being Super Productive!) – Part 1

I’ve done it here, haven’t I? Given myself too many articles to read which will make me feel overwhelmed with stuff that I have to do to find more time to do everything else!

Oh crap.

Maybe this will help:

Step 1: Happy mood

• If you happen to read the paper in the morning, postpone your update of the news to the evening, it is often very negative anyway and can have a bad influence on the day.  Being updated once per day on the Snowden Chase should be enough, don’t you think?

• Listen to some good music instead to get you ready for some action!

• If you have the liberty, change your environment from where you work! This will charge your inspiration! Go to the bookstore or library, or a coffee shop. Go to the location that works best for you.

Step 2: Daily goals

• Review your personal goals and deadline for the next weeks. In which direction are you heading? Do you have to present your project to an audience in two weeks time? Then get to the preparation.

• Write down 4-5 things that you would like to accomplish today. Actions like: finish a presentation, reserve the room, schedule a phone call for an interview etc.

• Use the tool you prefer for this, whether it is a traditional notepad, or an app. Whatever is best for you, but just stick to one tool! If you like to use an app for this, I have been using Asana, it is works very well for this.
  

  Step 3: Avoid distractions

  • Put your smartphone out of sight (and on silence).
  • Clean up your desk, if you have non-relevant papers lying around.
  • If you have to work on the computer, only open the windows that you have to work on, not more.
  • To turn off online distractions, make use of Self Control (Mac) or Freedom (PC) to lock distracting sites while you want to get things done (I have not used these personally, but they were recommended to me, maybe you give them a try and let me know!).
  • Postpone your emails to later, be productive first (I admit, this is not so easy to do at first, but once you get past the pain point, it is worthwhile!).

   

  Step 4: Organize your day

  • Dedicate specific time slots  to your productive time, for breaks (!), your email time, your phone call etc. Try to get a daily routine in, that should help you. For instance, schedule all your important phone calls for the early afternoon, so you can work on the most important things in the morning.
  • If your calendar is externally-steered through meetings etc., try to limit the number of meetings to those, which you really need to attend. Learn to say no! Decline those for which they have not sent you an agenda!

   

  Step 5: Focus to Get it Done

  Focus on the first thing first. When you are done, you can focus on the next one. One thing at a time.

  Step 6: Regain Focus

  It happens to all of us. We get distracted nonetheless, and that is fine, if it does not happen too often. Regain focus by asking yourself this simple question: “If you had a heart attack and had to work two hours per day, what would you do?” (Tim Ferris).

  Step 7: Review & Relax

  • Review what you have accomplished today! Probably more than a lot of people would have accomplished in three days!
  • Acknowledge it and be proud!
  • Have a relaxing evening!

 

A bit of a slow week but absence makes the heart grow fonder!

I hate it when I’m not very productive. It’s not that I haven’t got plenty to do or that I’m not inspired. It has been a combination of having a strange head cold coupled with hay fever, spending time with Fiance, and just generally waiting around for a phone call about a job. It has been like sitting on a bridge half way across. No man’s land.

I suppose it’s not always a bad thing to do nothing. It makes the activities you love more exciting and you see them with new eyes when you finally do get down to them again. Sometimes I have too much to do that I don’t do anything. Overload!

After all: ”The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” ~Bertrand Russell

This is what I have started. It’s the Fire Element Card for the Major Arcana.

This is the last one of the five, having done Air, Water, Earth and Spirit. I’m not sure if I posted the finished Spirit card, so here it is:

I think the cards are looking really good together. I made this image up so that I could make sure they looked like they belonged together. Packs of cards should hold some unity. With these it’s the intricate borders and the angel wings.

Finally, here’s my reading material. Interesting wouldn’t you say? I’m keen to bring some ancient symbols into my jewellery pieces.

So, until next time, stay light, stay bright and don’t feel bad about doing nothing!

Blessings & Light

~s~

and from my familiar:

Don’t just dust and mop your physical space…..do it to your mind as well.

Emotions associated with happiness (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hello Everyone and here’s to a healthy, happy and productive week!

I have just found this article and really want to share it with youz…but there’s no ‘reblog’ option, so I am copying  it in all its glory with the link to the amazing website. There are STACKS of inspirational articles. It looks like I’m going to spending a long time at the laptop today!

Go here: http://www.marcandangel.com

Blessings & Light!

(At least we have SUNSHINE in UK today, that’s a blessing!)

Lying to others is wrong, but lying to
yourself is an absolute tragedy.

The worst lies are the ones we subconsciously tell ourselves.  They’ve been ingrained in our minds by bad external influences and negative thinking.  So the next time you decide to unclutter your life and clean up your space, start with your intellectual space by clearing out the old lies and negative self-talk you often recite to yourself.

Here are twelve such lies to stop telling yourself:

1. I don’t have enough yet to be happy. – In every mistake and struggle there is a message.  Some people miss the message because they’re too busy berating themselves for the mistake, or fretting over the problem.  To be upset about what you don’t have is always a waste of what you do have.  The happiest of people aren’t the luckiest, and they usually don’t have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes their way.  The reason so many people give up is because they tend to look at what’s missing, and how far they still have to go, instead of what’s present, and how far they have come.  Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
2. My dreams are impossible. – Don’t let someone who gave up on their dreams talk you out of going after yours.  The best thing you can do in life is follow your heart.  Take risks.  Don’t just make the safe and easy choices because you’re afraid of what might happen.  If you do, nothing will ever happen.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Let your dreams be bigger than your fears and your actions speak louder than your words.  Do something every day that your future self will thank you for.
3. I am stuck with people who hurt me. – Life is too short.  Look out for yourself.  If someone continuously mistreats you, have enough respect for yourself to leave them.  It may hurt for a while, but it’ll be OK.  You’ll be OK.  Oftentimes walking away has nothing to do with weakness, and everything to do with strength.  We walk away not because we want others to realize our worth, but because we finally realize our own worth.
4. My failed relationships were a waste of time. – There are certain people who aren’t meant to fit into your life.  But no relationship is ever awaste of time.  If it doesn’t bring you what you want, it teaches you what you DON’T want.  We rarely lose friends, we just gradually figure out who our real ones are.  Never force someone to make a space in their life for you, because if they know your worth, they will surely create one for you.  And remember, when you’re up, your ‘friends’ know who you are, when you’re down, you know who your ‘real friends’ are.  It just takes a little time to figure it all out.
5. Things will never get better. – There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s part of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.  When you find yourself cocooned in isolation and cannot find your way out of the darkness, remember that this is similar to the place where caterpillars go to grow their wings.  Just because today is a terrible day doesn’t mean tomorrow won’t be the best day of your life.  You just got to get there.  Read Emotional Freedom.
6. Failure is bad. – Sometimes you have to fail a thousand times to succeed.  No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.  Don’t get so hung up on one failed attempt that you miss the opening for many more.  All of your ideas that don’t work are simply stepping stones on your way to the one idea that does.   And remember, failure is not falling down; failure is staying down when you have the choice to get back up.  Always get back up!  Oftentimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
7. Great things will come to me effortlessly. – We are who we choose to be.  Nobody’s going to come and save you, you’ve got to save yourself.  Nobody’s going to give you anything, you’ve got to go out and earn it.  Nobody knows what you want except for you.  And nobody will be as sorry as you if you don’t achieve it.  Never leave your key to happiness in someone else’s pocket, and don’t wait on someone else to build your dream life for you.  Be the architect and keeper of your own happiness.  The more you take responsibility for your past and present, the more you are able to create the future you seek.
8. My past is 100% indicative of my future. – At some point, we’ve all made mistakes, been walked on, used and forgotten.  We’ve let people take advantage of us, and we’ve accepted way less than we deserve.  But we shouldn’t regret one moment of it, because in those moments we’ve learned a lot from our bad choices.  We’ve learned who we can trust and who we can’t.  We’ve learned the meaning of friendship.  We’ve learned how to tell when people are lying and when they’re sincere.  We’ve learned how to be ourselves, and appreciate the truly great people and things in our lives as they arrive.  And even though there are some things we can never recover and people who will never be sorry, we now know better for next time.
9. I never need to meet anyone new. – It sounds harsh, but you cannot keep every friend you’ve ever made.  People and priorities change.  As some relationships fade others will grow.  Appreciate thepossibility of new relationships as you naturally let go of old ones that no longer work.  Trust your judgment.  Embrace new relationships, knowing that you are entering into unfamiliar territory.  Be ready to learn, be ready for a challenge, and be ready to meet someone that might just change your life forever.
10. I can’t live without those who are gone. – If someone comes into your life and has a positive impact on you, but for some reason they can’t stay, don’t mourn for too long.  Be thankful that your paths crossed and that they somehow made you happy, even if it was just for a short while.  Life is change.  People really do come and go.  Some come back, some don’t, and that’s okay.  And just because one person leaves, doesn’t mean you should forget about everyone else who’s still standing by your side.  Continue to appreciate what you have, and smile about the memories.
11. I’m not ready because I’m not good enough yet. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.  Stop berating yourself for being a work in progress.  Start embracing it!  Because being a work in progress doesn’t mean you’re not good enough today; it means you want a better tomorrow, and you wish to love yourself completely, so you can live your life fully.  It means you’re determined to heal your heart, expand your mind and cultivate the gifts you know you’re meant to share.  You are ready.  You just need to start.  Read The Power of Now.
12. I have way too much to lose. – In the end you will not regret the things you have done nearly as much as the things you have left undone.  Trust me, you’d rather look back at your life and say, “I can’t believe I did that!” instead of, “I wish I would have…”  It’s better to think “Oh well,” than “what if.”  It’s better to have a lifetime full of mistakes that you learned from, rather than a heart full of regrets and empty dreams.

Related articles

• 12 Lies To Stop Telling Yourself (marcandangel.com)
• Thinking Magically™ | The Truth About Being Content (scottgrossberg.wordpress.com)
• Failure? What does it really mean… (anextraordinaryexistence.wordpress.com)