Figuring out what works and what doesn't work

I think all of us can sit back sometimes and see that things that were working for you are just not working currently. It can be very simple in changing some of the process, or it might be something bigger than that.

added some bling

My planner has been getting a bit of an update for the last little while, and part of that is because I was finding that some things were working very well for me, and other parts just didn’t work the way that they were done. This has meant that there has been times that I have been frustrated when things were not the way I wanted them, and now I am trying another setup to see if that will work better for me. I am not sure how things will go, but I am going to try these changes.

adding some colour

One thing I did notice was that my planner wasn’t really me, so that was something that was pretty easy to fix and all it took was some washi tape and some stickers along with the dividers I was already using and some card stock for other dividers. It is amazing how adding some bling to the planner and some personal touches has made a difference to it. Having some glitter on some of the pages has helped me feel that the planner is more me because of this. I have also been able to add some dividers which some different stickers and that has also helped.

My planner is now two different planners, as I found I just had too much information that I wanted to have available. I have now set up my planner in ways that seem to be working well and that is stuff that I need when I am out and about and then the stuff that I need while working at home. I have my small ARC notebook with the stuff that I need when we are on the go, and then I have a full size ARC notebook that I keep more information in it, and that is the one that is used to track stuff at home and when I am working. Having two planners does mean that there are some things that I have double, but at least I feel better about things because I am not trying to carry everything with me all the time.

Figuring out what works and what doesn’t work does take some time, and it is just a matter of being able to sit back and take that little bit of time to figure it all out. I am still not sure if the two planners are set up the way I want them yet, and I know that if I find something isn’t working for me, I just have to figure out how to change it and see if the new way works better.

Regaining a focus

I think a lot of us deal with a time when we have to sit back and think about some of the things that we have on our to-do list. I know that is something that I try and do at least once a month to ensure that things are getting done that need to get done and that things that are no longer necessary can be removed from the list.

Another thing that needs to be done every once in a while, is to look at the different things that you have thought about doing and seeing if they are still things that you want to do. As someone that crafts, I find that there are times that I need to go through some of my craft projects and decide if they are going to be worked on or if it’s time to say no and either get rid of the project or put the material back into my stash so that I can use it for something else. It can be a little overwhelming sometimes to look at the projects and make these decisions, but you have to remember that realizing that you aren’t going to finish something does help. It gets one thing off the list of things that you are going to do, and then you have more time to do the things that you really want to do.

There are going to be times when you do the review of your things, and you just put everything back because they are all things you are going to work on at some point. Being able to figure out if you are going to work on something or not can take some time, so this needs to be done when you have a bit of time to focus on the task and not feel like you are rushing through it.

After you have done the cleaning up of either your to-do list or your projects, you will be able to sit back and see what is important and move forward on them. There is still the risk that things on your to-do list or your projects won’t get done, but at least you may have your list a little more under control, which is the main thing.

Regaining a focus is very important from time to time. It can help you get back to what is important and what needs to get done, rather than working on things that really aren’t important and can either wait for a while or don’t need to be done. Once your focus has been regained, it is time to get back to doing the things that you need to do and don’t worry about those things that you decided aren’t important any longer.

Escaping the normal routine

I think everyone needs a break and an escape from the normal routine. For some people, it can be as simple as changing up the routine for a day. For others, it might mean taking a vacation away from home.

An escape for me depends on a lot of things, and sometimes it can be as simple as finding a different place to write for a couple of hours. Some escapes can even be as simple as going to a hotel across the city from home for a couple of nights. Other escapes can be doing to Niagara Falls for a long weekend and being a tourist. Sure, Niagara Falls can be very busy in the summer, but off season it can be a wonderful place to enjoy yourself.

Any escape no matter what you do can make such a difference. It is a means of recharging your personal battery and forgetting about some of the pressures and stress of the normal routine. Being able to forget the things that you can’t do for a couple of days can make such a difference to have you handle things when you get back to your normal routine.

Being able to figure out what works as an escape for you can make such a difference. Knowing what is important to you and what you need in your escape can help a lot. For me, one of the things that I have to do is not over plan my escape. I need to know that the schedule I have for the escape is extremely flexible.

An escape no matter how long it is does come to an end, but at least it has been an escape from the normal routine. When you get back to your normal routine, things are still going to be there from before you left, but at least they may not seem as difficult or overwhelming.

Escaping the normal routine is very important to everyone. Your escape can be different each time, or it can be the same, but at least it is an escape, and that’s what is important.

Media

There are times that the media just seems to talk about a story or an accident just too much. I understand that the public needs to hear the details, so they are comfortable and feel safe again, but then it is the number of times that the same details are told.

With the media, the stories that are told over and over again are the murder and major accidents, but the nice feel good stories are quickly mentioned and then seem to be forgotten. It would be nice if we could get a better blend on the stories. There hare times when it seems that there is nothing good going on in the world but when you check online there is a lot of good happening, but it just doesn’t get the mention through the media. I have heard that the media feels that they need good stories to talk about, and I feel like a good story is something that isn’t happy, it is something bad.

Lately there has been some murders or homicides in the area that seem to be the main thing that has been talked about on the news. Besides that, there is now all the public figures that are being accused of sexual misconduct. These are the stores that we are hearing over and over again, and they seem to never end.

I understand that people need to know what is going on in their area and if there is a situation that may cause some harm to them, but it is the constant repeating of the same information day after day. If there was something new in one of the cases, then fine, talk about the new information, but please don’t show the same tapes that you have shown over the last few days. With the internet nowadays, if someone has missed something and wants to find out about it, they can easily look it up online and get the information that they have missed.

When the media starts repeating the story too many times, that is when I turn off the television and find something else to do that I enjoy. Sure, we need to hear what is going on in the world, but it would be nice to see some of the feeling good stories just a little more often.