People always comment on my self-discipline and motivation to stick to my goals. On the whole I am exceptionally motivated to reach the targets I have set myself and that is a very very good thing indeed, but one thing I need to understand is that to keep all daily activities, goals and challenges in place one needs to have all their pieces of the puzzle together. I think everyone has different pieces, for me it includes health, sleep (at least 7 hrs a night to function), low GI food (to keep my blood sugar levels in the right place), exercise (again helps me maintain my sugar levels but also for stress reduction), me time (reading, relaxing, reflecting), time to do the fundamentals (cooking, cleaning, paying bills, checking account balances etc), time for socialization (even just 1-2 x a week, catching up with a friend for a drink or coffee etc). These are the pieces of my puzzle that it takes to cope with life well, to have energy and enthusiasm, to keep plugging away at my goals etc. On the whole, in life, it is very rare for all the pieces of the puzzle to be where they need to be, life just doesn’t work that way and part of being able to cope with life is understanding that, making adaptations etc. Often several pieces may be out of place for a day or so and again we adjust and pick ourselves up but when many pieces are out of place for quite some time, as I’ve just experienced, I think it can get to the stage where you either have to try to put 1 piece in at a time or simply mix up those pieces and start again!
Wednesday: I decided I was only going to focus on 1 piece of my puzzle - sleep. Wednesday night I slept from 9pm to 4am (I had to be up early to go to a meeting at the other end of the country!). I noticed I felt a lot better on Thursday.
Sleep piece of the puzzle – check!
Thursday: I decided to continue to focus on sleep. I didn’t get home until after 9pm and didn’t get to bed until 11:30pm but I decided I would not get to work early, I would instead set my alarm for 7:30 am and get into the office for 9.
Sleep piece of the puzzle – check!
Friday: – I felt really good. Friday was another 13 hour work day, but I was coping. Instead of accepting the free work sandwiches which were high GI and filled with spreads, I went to an organic grocer and spent money, yes Frugal Trenches spent money she didn’t “need” to (although I’d argue I did!) on a £5 healthy salad with lentils, spinach and chickpeas! While I didn’t leave the office until 10pm, I had energy, felt good and accomplished a lot! When I left the office at 10pm I swang by a shop & bought hummus, grapes, peppers and lentils to have for dinner tonight and tomorrow’s breakfast.
Sleep and food piece of the puzzle – check!
Saturday – Again another night of 8 hrs sleep, a healthy breakfast (vegan bread with hummus and grapes), a short walk and I decided I needed to get my laundry & sheets done as part of the cleaning piece of my puzzle. However, actually dealing with a broken spinner in the washing machine, plus no outside space to dry clothes means I needed to admit I need help! So I took my clothes, comforter & sheets to the Laundromat for a service wash (how very eastenders). I think the £10 or so it will cost me, is very much worth it to get the cleaning piece of the puzzle back in place!
For some me time this afternoon, I am heading over to a free art gallery and plan to do a 3 mile walk around one of our wonderful parks in this fabulous city I call home!
Sleep, food, cleaning and me time pieces of the puzzle – check!
On top of this, I have booked 3 days off next week as time off in lieu. I’ve made plans to do a hike with a friend one of the days, visit the sea another day and do nothing on the 3rd.
I think I’m learning that when things go array or when you are desperately trying to accomplish a goal or get on/stay on the bandwagon what you most need to do, initially, is focus on 1 thing. For 1 thing is all it takes to start putting those puzzle pieces together!
What a useful post. It’s so true and yet we all tend to get stressed when the pieces just don’t seem to fit properly or can’t be found. I think that’s what’s happened to me these past couple of days, that’s why I’m just relaxing today and doing only what I feel like doing. Tomorrow is another day
By: Sharon J on September 27, 2008
at 1:13 pm
Thanks Sharon, well done you for knowing what you need.
Very true, the puzzle has a domino effect really!
By: Frugal Trenches on September 27, 2008
at 1:15 pm
Hi there, another fantastic post!! I’m much the same about sleep, I have to have my quota, or I’m a bear with a sore head!! I also like ‘me’ time and time for relaxing too!Enjoy the gallery and the park today and enjoy your time off too!
By: sharon rose on September 27, 2008
at 2:48 pm
well thank you for thinking of me as an honorary brit! i’m delighted. I might sound british sometimes because i learned english in a british school in Argentina. I’ve been living in the states for 10 years now so a lot of it has worn off but apparently some of it is still hanging on
Yes, my pieces of the puzzle sound a LOT like your pieces of the puzzle- i really need a clean environment, healthy food, exercise and adequate sleep to function. I have been letting a lot of those things slide this week but I am actually going to adopt this strategy of focusing on one instead of doing all of them kind of halfheartedly and not getting anything out of it. Today: cleaning, tomorrow: healthy day + exercise . thanks for this!
By: neimanmarxist on September 27, 2008
at 6:18 pm
Well done! Recently I ‘ve been putting a lot of things off until I have a mountain of stuff to catch up on. I too find it helpful to concentrate on one thing at a time.
Sleep is good, everything is much worse if you are tired as well as stressed.
By: sharie on September 27, 2008
at 6:42 pm
You are SO right!! Good for you!
My puzzle pieces are a lot like yours. I guess when we lose focus, fall off the band wagon, remembering how we got there in the first place seems so foreign at the time. I am so happy that you’re back on track and that you are taking the time to recognize your needs. Enjoy the rest of your time this weekend!
By: frugal dreamer on September 27, 2008
at 8:23 pm
Holy cow what what do you do for a living, you sure do seem to work alot of hours???
I don’t think you salary reflects that.
As an aside do you miss the good old meat and patatoes or were you always a vegen
By: Rob in Madrid on September 27, 2008
at 8:25 pm
opps grammar mistake
As an aside do you EVER miss….
By: Rob in Madrid on September 27, 2008
at 8:43 pm
Rob I do work hard because of the position I have. I am not paid overtime but do get other compensation.
No not missing meat at all!
Will do a post on that soon!
By: Frugal Trenches on September 28, 2008
at 8:46 am
I did the same thing last week – take my clothes for a service wash. I was in New York for a few months this year and I loved how my clothes came back dry and folded. It was money really well spent – I had a huge pile of dirty clothes and was going to Paris the next day – but I got the clothes back ironed and ready! Brilliant – can’t make a habit of it, but once in a while it definitely helps you get back on the straight and narrow…
By: My Eco Self on September 28, 2008
at 9:16 am
So true my eco self!
By: Frugal Trenches on September 28, 2008
at 9:37 am
That seems like a great balance… You’re doing a lot better than me on the sleeping piece of the puzzle… I start out so well then by the end of the week I just stay up later and later. A great night’s sleep does wonders for the body and soul though…
By: CanadianSaver on September 28, 2008
at 3:42 pm
Great analogy with the puzzle pieces, and this is exactly what I’m doing with computer time, reading and health issues.
By: Sharon on September 29, 2008
at 3:13 pm
Great post! I agree that I find things much easier when I have balance in my life.
By: My Life Makeover Journey on September 29, 2008
at 8:45 pm
[...] water, take time out each day for myself and forgive myself, but I can officially say that the pieces of the puzzle are back in place and I am feeling so much better. What a lesson in remembering to bring the simple life to every [...]
By: *The pieces are back together, goals and veganism!* Updated! « Notes From The Frugal Trenches - A Downshifting Journey on October 1, 2008
at 8:05 pm
You’ve inspired me to work harder at making sleep a priority. With a baby who wakes up early, I gotta start scaling back my night owl projects!
By: Frugal Babe on October 3, 2008
at 7:02 pm