Another break, another roll call of
excuses to justify my lack of blogging. Quite possibly I've had the
three most stressful months of my life: I applied for a job, was
interviewed and awarded the post; a family member had a very
frightening illness that is still making its effect known and I took
my first tentative step on the property ladder. Next weekend I will
move into the first home that I have actually owned.
No more renting fears about daring to put picture hooks on the walls
or waiting over a week for the landlord to authorise repairs.
Lately
I have been indulging in my favourite pass time: naval gazing. Recent
events have left me mulling over bad habits I have picked up over the
past decade. Motivation has been a running theme throughout these
musings. One example is the looming New House. Him Indoors and I had
very different ideas about home decorating. Being renters, I had
developed a habit of not caring about my living space. Who cared if
the sofa matched the curtains? Why should I own a 'good' set of
dishes? Does one really need to hoover every weekend? After all, it
wasn't my space.
Unwittingly, this habit was the driving force behind the Painting
Issue.
Luckily,
the New House is in very good condition and does not require a lot of
work beyond a cleaning spree. Him Indoors wanted to paint various
areas of the house. I did not see the point; why create all this
extra work before we've started? Him Indoors made some very good
cases which is how I found myself painting a room for the first time
in my life. Heck, I even enjoyed it. This afternoon I was sitting in
the room I helped to paint and I was proud. I did that,
I thought as I took ten minutes off from the cleaning.
I am
coming to realise that motivation does not grow overnight. It needs
to be looked after, feed, watered, like any other living creature.
Motivation is not sitting on the Internet all evening, reading every
LOL Cat ever created.
One
website that has really worked for me has been Unfuck Your Habitat.
Setting a timer for twenty minutes seems such a simple idea. Having a
cheeky wee ten minute break every twenty minutes appeals to me. So
far I have used the 20/10 rule to:
- Clear out my bathroom cabinet
- Clean the bathroom in my new house
- Sort out and pack up my books
- Putting away washing loads of clothing
- Tidying the kitchen most evenings before bed
Now
I'm using it to write this blog post. As per my last entry, I'm still
working out which path I want to take with this blog. Ultimately I am
writing this blog for myself, to keep track of my development as I
hurtle towards my thirties. You are more than welcome to come along
for the ride.
Some readers may noticed that I have
changed the title of my blog to Wandering Naval Gazer. I have not
retreated from my opinions but I feel that this blog has become more
personal in nature. I am a Woman with many opinions, many of which
are still be formed. One day I might be brave enough to post them
again.
© Wandering Naval Gazer
