Let’s just say that today I did not achieve my goal of not stress-eating All The Biscuits.

Both the best and worst part of manageressing is the team wrangling. Sometimes I really do miss just sitting quietly messing about with spreadsheets and not having to bother with humans.

This morning it rained for the first time in months!

This was really very exciting because everything is utterly bone dry and crackley (including my skin!). 

I hope there is much more of it (and soon!) though it would be great if my bike commute times could be spared.

Things I’d like to Achieve in October:

➕ complete 5 of the 50before50 projects (ambitious!)

➕ dinner and theatre date with Don (Saturday)

➕ stop stress-eating biscuits at SML

➕ get into the habit of recording my impressions of books immediately upon completing them 

➕ investigate acquiring a larger fish tank

➕ compile prep and packing list for birthday getaway

That should be enough to be going on with. Possibly this is slightly ambitious to fit into 20 days, especially as I am generally pretty knackered when I arrive home from SML – leaving minimal time for very much at all. Really, I should be using those 168 hours more productively! Maybe I need to start keeping a time log.

Today Bobs showered me with praise for that work I did yesterday morning. 

He was actually gushing (on more than one occasion – and to others). This was really quite unsettling because it is not at all like him – he doesn’t really do much in the way of praise.

It’s likely because I explained a couple of quite opaque processes that are difficult to grapple with in a simple and visually pleasing way. I think this was the first time he was really able to come to grips with the (very esoteric) concepts and was delighted to be able to do so.

One of those self-help books I’ve been reading (though I’m uncertain) which suggests looking at which parts of your job you’d do for free and try to do more of that. I would totally and happily spend my free time explaining stuff in clear, soothing and pretty ways for busy executives – oh wait, I did that yesterday – and I was happy to!

In quite amazing news I actually managed every single thing** on my weekend list! 

Okay, so it wasn’t a terribly ambitious list, but I did some creative stuff, achieved a bunch – and I feel quite well rested! 

All this despite putting in a 5 hour stretch of work-work this morning (Afternoon Me was very happy that Morning Me sucked it up and took one for the team rather than procrastinating).

Could this whole making time for boredom thing be working? 

xxx
** and ouch – I remembered there’s definitely a reason I eased back on the running!

50 days until 50.

Yikes!

I have no real plans for the weekend ahead, but I really should sort something out – else I end up grumpish and doing nothing.

Perhaps I’ll: 

➕ take that short run I didn’t do last weekend

➕ read a little

➕ tidy and potter

➕ meditate (the beginning of daylight savings has me all out of whack, so I’ve missed a couple days)

➕ do a bit of (enjoyable) worky-work

➕ avoid wasting my precious minutes/hours/days on the InformationSuperhighway
➕ embroider 

➕ decompress from the rather stressful week

➕ let myself be bored

Yesterday I had the rather unpleasant task of telling my Very Highly Paid Under-performer that we no longer required her services and would be ending her contract early. 

Fortunately she handled it quite well and with dignity. Now all that remains is to unravel the mess!

Last night I, of course, was wracked with nightmares and slept very badly. I’m hopeful this was just residual stress and will not become a pattern!

Ooops – the peril of not keeping a log of what I’m reading / listening to is that one is invariably missed!

Joe/Frank and I had an early appointment this morning and being out of my routine, I inadvertently left my phone at home. Having no phone made me remember that I’d also listened to the Manoush Zomorodi: Bored and Brilliant audiobook during the month.

If you’re not familiar with this project, you should go watch Manoush’s TED talk.

If you’ve already listened to the note to self bored and brilliant episodes, there’s a fair bit of repetition in the book. This meant I probably didn’t get as much out of this as I might have done if it was new material, but I still found it really worthwhile. 

Definitely worth a listen / read. 

I’m now consciously making an effort to put the phone down and let myself be bored (especially useful on the train this afternoon with no phone to occupy me!).

Yesterday for the first time in a long, long while, we took the road bikes out for a spin.

There are all sorts of reasons why we haven’t been out, but if I’m honest, cycling hasn’t really been a priority for us. And I’m getting my riding fix on the SML commute on Corey-the-bike..

We threw (gently – those carbon frames are fragile!) the bikes in the back of Panzo-the-car, drove to Woolooware then rode to Kurnell and back. It was a really beautiful morning and the ride was excellent – I’ve missed it!

Miraculously, what we didn’t do was track our pace or our distance – or anything. When taking a break at the turn around point we wondered how we’d turned this into such a super-competitive activity. Recently, we’d rarely be in the moment because we were pursuing better stats (further! faster!) – in retrospect, that really diminished the enjoyment.

In just over one month we’re entered in the slightly terrifying Sydney to the Gong ride. I have no problem with the distance (80km+), but I am terrified of the hills. Terrified. I wish I’d had these amazing flashes of insight before I’d handed over the entry fee!

As it is, if I decide that I don’t want to go through with it, I’m okay with that and will be kind to myself!