“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.” – Dale Carnegie

Hello there for the second week in a row! This has been a week of some ups and downs, but I told myself I’d get back on here and I did it! Taking action and hoping that confidence and courage will follow!

1. Lists – I have been making lists for as long as I can remember, but the past few weeks they’ve been my lifeline! I’ve been thinking a lot about the systems I use and realizing that I have a lot of duplication in my processes for tracking things. But, you know what? It’s working for me! At the beginning of the week, usually Sunday afternoon, I plan out everything I want to get done in a weekly planner (this one). This is also when I put together my meal plan for the week and create my grocery list. Then every evening I create a more detailed checklist on my phone. This can include daily tasks too, like walking the dog and meditating. I also list out what I have planned for dinner so I can remember to leave time if I need to cook. This list will also carryover tasks that I didn’t get to the previous day, so it’s more of a living document than my weekly plan. On my work days, I sit down at my desk in the morning and write down in a physical notebook what I need to do for that day. It will include meetings I have to attend, emails I have to send, and other tasks. This gives me a more complete idea of what is going to take up my time vs just looking at my calendar. So…things get repeated or put on multiple lists but again, it works for me so why change it? Also, I know it sounds like a lot but I’d say the weekly plan and meal plan take me…maybe 30-45 minutes at the beginning of the week? My evening list takes 5-10 minutes. And my morning work plan usually the same. So not very much for something that saves me time in the long run by allowing me to better manage my energy and get the important things done.
2. Paved “hiking” trails – I don’t hike in the winter or spring because of the snow and then subsequent muddy season. But we have a few pretty great paved trails nearby that go through open space or even up into the mountains a bit. Now that it’s nicer weather, I’ve been taking the dog for longer walks on these trails and it’s such a lovely way to ease back into hiking season without the mess of a muddy trail.
3. New growth on houseplants – I think I’ve talked about my dieffenbachia before and how it just keeps growing and growing and giving me baby plants. I think it has given me an unrealistic expectation of how quickly houseplants grow! Several months ago I picked up a little rubber ficus at a local store and while it’s been staying alive just fine, it hasn’t really shown any signs of growth. But just this week a new little baby leaf is starting to peek out and I’m so excited about it!
4. Costco – I’ve had a Costco membership for a couple years now and I’ve always been a fan. I used to go maybe once every 4-6 weeks to stock up on the essentials (paper towels, toilet paper, medications, etc…) I’ve recently been going more frequently. I think part of the shift is that as I get better at meal planning/prepping, buying more things in bulk makes sense because I know exactly how and when I’ll use it. Also, don’t sleep on their clothing section! I decided that I wanted to explore wearing skorts this summer and I everything I tried (Target, Athleta, Columbia) either had weird bunching of the skirt at the waist or the undershorts were too short/rode up. But then I saw skorts at Costco for like, $12 each, and bought one to try it out. Perfection! I went back to buy another color. In the past I’ve also gotten a Patagonia down jacket from Costco and cute summer dresses from Columbia. So if you have a membership but have never perused the clothing section, give it a walk through next time you’re there. You might be pleasantly surprised!
5. ZillowGoneWild on Instagram – I stumbled upon this account and now I’m obsessed. If you are someone who loves clicking through houses on Zillow and finding really wild decor, you should totally follow this account. They just repost pics from Zillow and some of the stuff is…truly indescribable. Love it.