First of February already? (Bloody hell). That means it’s time for the monthly project accounting.
This is fairly lengthy, so here’s the TL;DR version – of 12 projects: achieved = 5 achieved; 6 partially achieved; 1 not achieved. Better than expected outcome, especially as I half of it was spent on holiday.
- war on sloth
– running at least 3x per week / daily exercise – core + glutes (even 5 minutes is better than nothing).
PARTIALLY ACHIEVED: I’ve been running, though I’d say the average is probably a little less than 3x per week, but a little more than 2x. The core and glutes have been largely ignored. - war on graffiti
– never let the graffiti on the front of ThePalace(OfLove) remain unpainted for more than 24 hours. Always photograph, always report.
ACHIEVED!: Pleased to advise we avoided being tagged for a whole month! - war on duopolies
– minimise shopping at Coles / Woolies and their associated companies.
– support small, independent businesses
ACHIEVED!: We’ve not set foot in Coles or Woolies for 38 days! Many small, local businesses have been patronised. - war on clutter
– get rid of everything we don’t need or want or things we have been holding on to for stupid reasons
ACHIEVED: Doing pretty well with this one and have divested ourselves of a good deal of stuff. I’m trying to attack at least something every day.
It’s quite amazing the silly things you tend to hang onto. For example, I don’t know why I would keep hair product that I didn’t care for, just I case I ran out of the one I like – for two years?!? Why wouldn’t I just go to the shop? - war on chub
– continue with amazingly successful 5:2 diet
– no booze (except for holidays)
ACHIEVED: After two weeks of 5:2 and 3 weeks of no wine, most of the holiday chub has disappeared. - war on unnecessary spending
– don’t buy anything that is not absolutely essential – none of this fudging with the definition of essential.
– take lunch to work at least 4 days per week
NOT ACHIEVED: Holidays. We bought a bit of stuff – much of which could not been deemed essential in any way.
I’ve only only back at work for two partial weeks, but I haven’t been good about taking lunch. That said, the way the weeks have been structured I’ve only bought lunch for 2 days each week. - war on the uncreative (apologies for the lame project title, alternative suggestions welcome!)
– make one thing per month
– blog at least every second day (I realise I can never emulate the daily posting of the amazing ganching, but I can give it a crack)
– take at least one photo every day
PARTIALLY ACHIEVED: I don’t think I have really made anything. I don’t really count pleating and hemming the curtains – though possibly I could.
I may have missed any every-second-day posting while we were in Hong Kong – but my average is higher than 16 posts in the month, so I’ll give myself a pass.
A big tick on the photos, though not all of them have been terribly pleasing. - war on blandness
– read good books | watch good films and television (at least once a week)
– eat good new things (two per month?)
– listen to one improving podcast per week
– avoid reading the increasingly dreadfulsmh.com.au
PARTIALLY ACHIEVED: We had many excellent meals in Hong Kong. Not so much with the cooking new things – though hoppin’ john yesterday counts for one in the month.
Yes, I have listened to podcasts, but not one per week (recommendations welcomed).
Yes, I have not set eyes on smh for a whole month. This has been glorious. Happy to have kicked that habit!
There has been way too much sport on television in the evenings to evening think about watching anything else.
Books, yes! My January reading list (not in any particular order):
* Marion Coutts: The Iceberg. Loved. This absolutely blew me away.
* Karen Joy Fowler: We are all completely beside ourselves. Loved. I so did not expect the twist.
* Sarah Waters: The paying guests. I didn’t hate it, but I liked the Night Watch much, much better.
* Liane Moriarty: Little Big Lies. I really didn’t expect to like this as much as I did. She really nails the Australian primary school ecosystem. Light, fun read.
* Marie Kondo: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying. Actually, I may have read this in late December. Bonkers – but her approach has definitely influenced the current round of decluttering. Is there anyone on the planet who has not read this yet?
* India Knight: In your prime. Some of this didn’t apply to me (teenage children, aging parents). I’m never quite sure how I feel about her bossy, all-knowing way of writing. I veer from thinking “fabulous!” to the complete opposite. The content didn’t stay with me.
* Liane Moriarty: The husband’s secret. I bought this because I’d loved Little Big Lies. Definitely not as good – characterisation still spot on though. - war on the shoddy / shonky in ThePalace(OfLove)
– have the leaks fixed
– finish the last bits of the paintering
– get quotes for balcony sliding door | shutters | conservatory
PARTIALLY ACHIEVED: So some dudes are coming to do leak penetration testing mid-February. Hopefully this will pinpoint areas to target and avoid us having to rip up and re-waterproof the whole upstairs balcony and have a new roof put on.
We’ve put a hold on buying more paint as we move into a savings phase.
The quotes will be obtained over the coming months. It’s not as if we are going to action them any time soon! - war on our genX slackerness
– get our finances in order
– get our estate planning in order
PARTIALLY ACHIEVED: We met with a financial planner who is conducting a status review of our overall sitch (of course, we’re exercising due caution – what with all the recent financial advice scandals!).
Wills and such are scheduled to be actioned beginning in February. - war on the career (see genX slackerness)
– ramp up the professionalism in dress, grooming and manner.
– just knuckle down and do this advanced manageressing course. FIVE times a week.
– take this “I am expecting big things from you in the next six months” seriously and action accordingly.
PARTIALLY ACHIEVED!: Definitely progress on first sub-point – thanks to anyresemblance, I now own all the boden dresses. Okay, there are probably still a couple I don’t own. I got my hair cut before I returned to SML, this counts as a big achievement. Also, I have the most glorious gossip about a senior manager that I have not shared with anyone.
Of course, I have avoided the manageressing course (hey, I’ve been on holiday!). I need to confront my avoidance.
I’ve spent the last two weeks clearing the SML administrative decks to work on the big things in Feb. - war on poor self-esteem
– just stop entirely reading the social media accounts of those who make me feel inadequate (of course, this is not you dear reader)
ACHIEVED!: Let me just say that this makes a huge difference to my mental health and well-being. Long may it continue.