Good morning everyone!  Oh dear.  First of all, this is kind of an experiment.  I DO know how dorky this is, so please don’t email to tell me that…and also, Lee already pointed out that I cut my own head off in the frame.  Oh well!

Day 1: Pen & Paper

Ok.  So, My day one (which was yesterday), is all about the most *incredible* technology available to us:  Pen and paper.  (Actually, probably pencil and paper, but I do admit to *requiring* my smooth-black-ink pen…).  That’s right.  My first resolution is to write it down.

Get it all on Paper.

I started by writing *everything* down:  all my goals, dreams, projects, hopes, desires, household tasks, art projects, everything. This was all loosely organized by project, but I pulled no punches, and really tried to get it *all* down on paper.  This is based on the ideas that David Allen talks about in his “Getting Things Done” books: downloading ALL the material in your head to paper, so that you can take a step back, sit with all the stuff you’re trying to do, and then figure out a way forward.  Even this first step, of putting it all down, and getting it all out of my head, tends to make me feel less stressed (even though seeing all of it in a jumble can be a bit jarring–this is the raw material).

The Next Step

The next step will be to organize all of this on-paper jumble into projects.  My projects include: Woodfired Pottery, Flora & Fauna, Household Chores, Homeschooling, Writing projects (individually), etc.  I like this way of organizing my tasks, because in a couple of days, I will be solidifying my daily schedule, which will allow for time for all of these projects, and I want to be able to quickly see which tasks I have to do, in which order, so that I can move each project forward.

Goofy Video, #1

Below is the super-goofy video, attempt number one.  I’m trying not to edit myself too much, and just to go for it.  I’ll be talking about how I feel about each new habit, and how successful I am in implementing them all, cumulatively.  Please keep in mind that my penchant for reading self-help material has been somewhat secretive, and that it kind of pains me to be doing this in public, but it’s also kind of fun..so here we are!