Is it just me or does it feel like January is dragggggging by? I mean, I’m not one to wish the time away and I appreciate every day but I can’t help but wonder why June feels like it lasts about 5 minutes and January goes on forever. Okay, I don’t actually wonder at all, I know it’s all about the weather.

Anyway.

How about some laughs this Thursday?

This one is funny:

This one is timely:

And this one is 100% accurate:

It’s still cold but at least I’m laughing and I hope you are, too.

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Sometimes these Thursday posts are tricky. You know, coming up with three things that sort of go together. Not that I always do that but it’s worth mentioning that it’s generally the goal. This week I have three things that are pretty unrelated except that they are all sort of . . . life hacks. In other words, they are three things I’m currently doing to make my life easier/better/more productive.

1. Set some short term seasonal goals. You know Dale and I made a big splashy 19 in 2019 List. I thought about doing one for myself, too, but I had a hard time coming up with things that I knew would carry me through the entire year. Instead, I came up with things I want to do in January/February/March. Things like schedule my annual physical, clean out a couple of cabinets and my closet, and choose new bedding. I’ve got them listed in my journal to remind me to spend some free time each week on this stuff and when April arrives I’ll be ready for new things.
2. Delaying the purchase of things on Amazon. I might be a little hooked on the evil giant that is Amazon. It’s just so easy to buy something instantly and have it 2 days if I order it in the next 3 hours and 42 minutes. Ya know? Sometimes it’s stuff I actually need but sometimes it’s impulse purchases that I could do without. So, what I’ve started doing is putting anything I want to purchase in my cart and then walking away. At the end of the week I take another look at that cart and evaluate what’s there. One question I ask myself is – can you remember what you put in your cart? If I can’t remember something it automatically gets removed. If I can remember and if I still feel like it’s important to purchase then I’ll probably go ahead and click that purchase button.
3. Stand Up! This is an app that I recently put on my iPhone. It’s used to set a reminder to get up and walk around. I have a very sedentary job and it’s easy for me to get so involved in whatever I’m working on that I’ll just sit for 2 hours or more without getting up. When I sit that long my knees get stiff and it’s just not good anyway. I’ve currently got the app set to remind me every 50 minutes to Stand Up! and walk around. I do a loop through the library, including going up the stairs, and I’m finding it’s good not only for my body but for my head.

Those are my 2019 life hacks! I hope there’s something useful in there for you or that perhaps they sparked an idea for something you can try to make your life better, too.

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I’m at the point in the season where my lists have lists, you know? The tasks ahead are mostly centered around our Christmas Eve party but I did get three things done yesterday that I’m quite happy to check off my list.

They are:

1. Addressed, stuffed, sealed, and mailed our Christmas cards. I’m writing it here now as a reminder to have my printer extraordinaire preprint our return address on the envelopes next year.
2. Made the dreaded expedition to Costco. I really just needed wine and beer and a ham and I mostly stuck to the list with the exception of a $75 beef tenderloin that somehow landed in my cart. It was crowded but I got called over to the self check out line by a great employee who get me out super fast when he saw that I didn’t have that much in my cart. Hooray.
3. Drove around with Dale to look at Christmas lights. This is something we try to do every year but sometimes it gets shoved aside and we don’t get to it. I’m always glad when we do, though, it’s such a great way to slow down and enjoy the lights and decorations.

In the interest of time (and my lists) that’s all I’ve got for today!

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You might know that I’m a bit of a . . . stickler . . . when it comes to rules. Not all rules but definitely my rules. Like, my rule about not eating popcorn at the movies until the actual movie starts. Or my rule about straightening the couch cushions and plumping the pillows each night before I go to bed. There are others that are seemingly arbitrary but they matter to me. And here’s one that’s bugging me right now:

Posts and lists and videos about the Best of 2018.

You know why it bugs me? Because 2018 isn’t over yet. Today is December 13th and we’ve got more than two full weeks left in 2018 and what if we read the best book ever on December 28th? Or what if we take a photo on December 25th and it gets more likes on Instagram than any photo we’ve taken all year? So, all you 2018 lists just hold your horses and wait until January 1st.

Now. That being said, I am looking ahead to 2019 and making some plans. And you can probably guess, I’m sharing 3 with you today.

1. I am setting my Reading Challenge for 2019 at 75 books. This is the same number I have done for the past 2 years and it works well for me. It allows me to read some long books and it’s also a number I hit around the end of November or early December. Remember that post I wrote about attainable goals? This is exactly what I was referring to.
2. Dale and I will be doing a list of 19 in 2019 just as we did 18 in 2018. Our list this year inspired us and pushed us and helped us set some goals, too. There are things we put on our list we didn’t do that we intentionally dropped and there are things that we didn’t get to yet but there are lots of things we did accomplish and . . . well now I’m thinking that this 18 in 2018 thing deserves a post of it’s own but just know that there will be a list in 2019 too.
3. I have chosen my One Little Word for 2019. I’ll share it soon (maybe even on January 1st) but it’s a good one and the time is right for me to use it. I’m not sure if I’m going to sign up for the class again as I haven’t really followed the class at all this year but there is a pretty cool journal available and I may get that and follow my own cues. Either way, I have found that choosing a word for the year really helps me focus on what matters and what my intentions are and I like it.

That’s all I’ve got so far for the year ahead. Let’s hope it’s a good one!

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