What's Coming in 2012

Hopefully good things for everyone.  More specifically, I have some plans.

I'm going to (try to) send out regular challenges to the PCC group, beginning today with a resurrection of the 21 Days of Clutter series.  I'm also planning a few PCCX reminders each month because I want to actually go through it for a change.  I'll get some posts and emails scheduled in advance so I don't forget or skip it; hopefully that will help with my follow-through.

I have a few other thoughts brewing about other things to do, I just haven't decided which ones will apply to this group/blog.  What are your plans for the year?

This Time...

This is mostly the same as a post I wrote today at Spark People, but the same principles apply to housekeeping as weight loss in many ways.

I think everyone, at some point, falls off of whatever wagon they're clinging to.  This is followed, almost inevitably, by a point in the future at which one says, "This time I'll do it right."  I'm all for positive affirmations and goals, but "This time..." is more like a promise, and one that is often destined to be broken.  

I've been slacking for quite some time now, and I wanted to start today fresh and trying harder.  But something about "This time..." rubs me the wrong way.  Maybe it's because it implies other times, more opportunities to fall.  Maybe it's because it implies picking up right where I left off instead of backing up a few steps and building back up to where I was.  Maybe because it's just too general.  Maybe it's because it's been said hundreds of times before and it carries the weight of all those failures with it.  Maybe it's because it encompasses too much time.  "This time..." could be months or years.

I think I'll go with "Today..." instead.  "Today..." I will pay attention to my priorities.  "Today..." I will get some - any - cleaning in.  "Today..." I will track what I need to.  Today I can handle.  It's one day, a finite time.  And if something goes wrong Today, there is always another Today - tomorrow.  If I said "This time..." and fell today then I wrecked the whole thing.  

So far Today is going fine.

Goals, New and Old

So let's see...a month ago I said this:

Specific tasks to complete:
Get my sort-of-secret project up and running
Get up to speed on the holiday planner
Finish any one section of PCCX cleaning
Write a minimum of 4 HK101 essays

Yeah...not so much.

That project - progress has been made, but it's not finished.  It NEEDS to be, NOW.

Holiday planner - not looked at.  Winged it for A's birthday.

PCCX cleaning - I barely did any daily cleaning.

HK101 essays - not a one.

So that was a waste of perfectly good goals.  Most of those I forgot I even made.  Let's strive to do better in October, shall we?

1. Have a functioning business site and marketing materials dispersed.
2. Prepare for Halloween before 10/27.
3. Daily rumbles regularly - at least 1 week's streak by end of month.
4. Dial down expectations - 1 HK101 essay.
5. 4 lbs. lost.

That will do for now.  I'm also setting a reminder to look at these daily so I don't forget and blow them off.

Who's got a goal for October?

September Goals

I have 2 basic goals for the month: consistency and improvement.  Vague enough for ya?

Consistency:
I want to start with consistent record-keeping.  I want to have complete POAs and food/exercise diaries for every day of the month.  Even if I didn't do anything, or I ate way too much, I want a record.  Am I going to do everything on my POA every day?  Uh, no.  Even if I tried I'm not sure I could. Well, I *could*, but I'd never get that far on my current energy and health level.  That's a goal for another time.  It is enough right now for me to know how much I *am* doing on a fairly regular basis, and to work on improving upon that amount.

Speaking of improvement:
I want to have a higher points per day average than last month.  I want the house to be cleaner at the end of the month than it is now - by which I specifically mean having it picked up enough to really *clean* on a regular basis.  I want to see progress on the scale and other measurements of health and fitness.  I want to spend less time on pain-killers and more time up doing things (not a whole lot I can control about that, except that if that last goal is met it should help).

Specific tasks to complete:
Get my sort-of-secret project up and running
Get up to speed on the holiday planner
Finish any one section of PCCX cleaning
Write a minimum of 4 HK101 essays

That'll do for now.  My POA is full of other things to do daily, weekly, monthly, and once.  I will have plenty to do in September.

5 & 1/2 Months Later

Yep, it's been over 5 months since I've posted which I just happened to notice because of Amanda's new post, so I'm posting an update and a few goals for the month of September.

I ended up slacking on the decluttering process back in April because I'd started college classes. Last week I'd finally decided that I was going to just have the garage sale with what I'd already decluttered and attempt to go through the garage as well (which I did). I'm pretty sure I sold well over 500 items, leaving me with 2 totes, a box and a rack of coats.

During the month of September, I plan to:

• Sort through the garage sale items and sort to donate or sell online.
• Drop off donation items
• Post items online for sale
• Scrub the shower & tub (I hate hard water...my tub is a "goldenrod" color (5 points if you know that color) and I'd like to see it white again
• Attempt to remove the paint from carpet in bedroom with goof off (pointless but going to try anyways)
• Begin job
• Start new college classes
• Clean out filing cabinet

I *intend* to post before/after pics now that I have a memory card reader again.

August In Review, September Preview

Technically the 50point bonus reminder came out Tuesday, but I figure as long as it's done by today - the day after the end of the month - it's worthy of the points.  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

So, here's August by the numbers, cuz ya know, I'm a numbers gal:

5 - number of days I didn't track diddly

4 - number of days I only have points because I forced myself to add up the abysmal "accomplishments"

12 - number of days I exceeded the daily goal

93,215 - number of points earned all month

3,007 - average number of points earned per day

0.5 - number of pounds I lost

2 - number of pounds I gained back

3 - number of times I was called by a school in the first 8 days of the school year

4 - number of family and friends' birthdays

19 - number of trips to Sonic - that I can document

31 - number of days the temperature reached 100+

6 - number of medical appointments - none of them mine!

8,767 - number of emails and RSS posts I received and deleted

609 - number of Spark Points earned ((re)joined 8/18)

There was all the usual back-to-school fervor to contend with of course.  Clothes and supplies to buy, and mountains of paperwork to fill out, much of it repetitive.  I don't think there was anything else truly interfering with my progress last month other than inherent laziness and the semi-excusable time spent in bed with pain meds.

In September we have 3 birthdays to celebrate - heh, all on consecutive Mondays, how 'bout that.  A will be a teenager in less than 2 weeks; heaven help us all.  I have 7 medical appointments already on the docket and at least 1 more will be added after tomorrow's visit to the orthodontist, I'm sure.  This season of True Blood will come to a close and the next season of Boardwalk Empire will begin.  I'm anxious to see what the HBO winter headline show will be now that Big Love is finished.  Neither of my A-list network shows begin this month (House and Bones, premiering in Oct and Nov, respectively).  

In other words, there's not a whole lot going on that should impede any progress I'd like to make.  Next up, goal setting - but that's another show.

So, uh, yeah

PCCX went out without so much as a whimper.  Gee, that went well.  Congratulations to those of you who accomplished things.  I did too, a couple, but not near "enough".  Story of my life, great plans, lousy follow-through.

This time of year is both my least and most favorite.  Least because I'm looking back at what didn't get done all year, and most because it's a time for all sorts of planning and whatnot.  Yay, goals.

Speaking of this time of year, does anyone else realize that Winter PCCX is supposed to start in 3 weeks?  I had the thought a while ago that it might be time to shake things up and change the way it goes, but I've had zero ideas on how to do that.  So please, anybody, toss in your thoughts.  Please.  Pretty please?

Starting again

I'm not going to make any grandiose statements about how I'm going to beat this place into submission once and for all, or magically get it all together in the next 5 weeks. With any luck I'll make it onto that road, but I'm not expecting miracles.

This is a time of change for me though. I've made major alterations to my personal blog, I've started another challenge or two, this is beginning, and just in general it's the second half of the year and I'm feeling the need to revisit goals.

I'm going to take new pictures this time, but only as I go. One section or room at a time I'll post before and after photos as I work on them. I apologize in advance for the quality of said photos; my real camera is not on speaking terms with me so I'll have to use my camera phone which is decidedly less clear. But possibly better than no pictures at all so I'll give it a shot.

So once again the reminder: any progress is progress, and the cleaner things get now the cleaner they'll be when it's time - in the not-so-distant future - for the mother of them all, Fall PCCX + Holiday Plan. Here's to a productive 5 weeks. Cheers.

Letting things slide

There's been a lot of sliding around here. So much so that I'm having a hard time getting my footing back. And not all of that is metaphorical, given that we've had more snow and ice this winter than any other in history for this area.

In happy news, I now have a brand-spanking-new set of laundry machines! Not a matching set, not even the same brand, but new and working and all that good stuff. There was a little drama with the dryer (mostly because I'm an idiot), but as of yesterday both are fully functional and have been running almost nonstop ever since.

I am cautiously optimistic about improvements around here. The washer and dryer are a big part of that, and also that today was bright and clear (still cold but I can't ask for much in February), and I have some new toys to play with. But I'm also wary because I know that my disposition, as well as external factors, can be mercurial and while I'm up and functioning and ambitious tonight there's no guarantee for tomorrow, much less next week or month.

I am determined, from now on, PCCX or not, to do one thing a day that is not the bare minimum. No matter how small an act that might be, if it's something that does not have to be repeated one or more times per day it counts as progress. Today, for example, when I was putting away yesterday's non-urgent groceries I also picked up a large amount of trash from the "pit" end of the kitchen. This is the dead end corner of the room between the freezer and the microwave where food packaging tends to be discarded without regard for any receptacle in which to place it. I didn't "clean the room" or even that side of it, I didn't "finish" the floor, I didn't get every last bit of everything, I just took a few extra minutes to go that one step beyond the task at hand, which was putting away food.

Which, by the way, is getting ever more impossible. I really need a bigger pantry.

I've also fallen waaay behind on my blogging responsibilities. Even if I'm only responsible to myself in my own mind, I'm still off kilter. I know better than to promise, but I do intend to make an effort to post much more often, if only to list my one "extra" task of the day. Winter can be such a blah time of year with weather restricting activities and affecting moods, among other things. It's going to take a concerted effort to not effectively hibernate until spring, so this is my declaration of intent.

Help me out. Leave comments. Post your own entries (you know who you are). Set goals, brag about accomplishments, even if it was only that you got all-the-way dressed on a day you weren't going anywhere, and have a conversation about how the season is affecting your work.

Ringing in the new year

It's that time again. Time of renewed hope, lofty ambitions, and crashing after a holiday sugar high. Oh, wait, is that just me?

Winter PCCX is the time to capitalize on the resolution wave and start the year off with a bang.

Will somebody please slap some sense into me so I quit talking in sound bites? Sheesh.

Ok, so PCCX starts again on Monday and I'd really like to kick some...ahem. Seriously. I really, really, REALLY *want* to have a clean house, honest. The thing about this challenge is, once it's over there's all the follow up maintenance afterward, and I'm not so good with that. On the other hand, if I were to actually *gasp* complete the list - or even come reasonably close - odds are I would be conditioned to doing the work every day, so the maintenance (daily, weekly) lists wouldn't be a problem. Right? I'd like it to be right. I'd like to think I can really do this, that I'm not an utter failure and sad excuse for a housekeeper, and by extension, person. Oh, sorry. It's gray and snowy outside and it's been this kind of Christmas, so I seesaw between ambition and despair. Don't mind me.

Are you ready for the new year and the new challenge? Is it one of your resolutions for 2010?

What does PCCX mean to me?

After creating CCP, PCCX is my biggest project of its kind to date. The writing of it, I mean. It was inspired by and developed with others, but the writing then and since has been my responsibility, and I'm proud of what it's become.

At the same time, it is a source of, alternately, hope and dispair, potential and disappointment. I start each one with a gleam in my eye but inevitably fall flat. Then I spend the next 6-8 weeks beating myself up for failure while at the same time looking ahead to the next one. Someday, I swear to myself, I will finish one. After all, I wrote the darn thing, right? Unfortunately, saying and doing are two entirely different things. A concept with which I'm sure everyone is familiar.

So I am here to say that from this moment forward I will not look at myself as a failure. Reflecting on the process and looking for ways to improve is ok - encouraged, even - but dwelling on shortcomings is not. Each day is its own entity, and its success or failure is based solely on the actions of that day. Even so, a day in which we are all still alive and the house is standing is never a failure. This is my new motto. Until tomorrow. :)

What does PCCX mean to you? What does it make you stop and think about? Is it an entity to you, or just a pile of drudgery to be endured? Let us know in the comments please, and help yourself to 50 points for doing so.

My 5x5

5 Positives from 1st 4 weeks:

1. I got the freezer defrosted and cleaned out so I was able to store all the things I needed to as they came in.
2. I washed 3/4 of the walls and floor of the back hallway. The walls are no longer covered in kid smudge.
3. Washing down the hallway proved to myself that I really could get it done.
4. I am making a more concerted effort (not that you'd notice after the last four days) to keep up with the regular chores in order to have some time to commit to PCCX.
5. I also cleaned all but one of the refrigerator shelves, it no longer looks quite like someone shoved a bleeding body inside.

5 Goals for next 4 weeks:

1. Get the floors in every room at least mopped if not better.
2. Catch up on the holiday list.
3. Scrub the heck out of the outside of my kitchen appliances.
4. Clear the piles off the tops of my big furniture (breakfronts, entertainment center, wall units, bookcases, etc.)
5. Get all of our clothes organized and weeded out and put away properly.

**Did anyone else notice that half the challenges today involved sitting down and writing? That's my kind of day. :)**

Looking Back....Looking Forward

Well thank you for reminding me that I have fallen down on the job here...LOL, just kidding.

I seriously have not done much that could be classified as PCCX during these last 5 weeks. I hang my head in shame......

And on that note, I say that this next 5 weeks will be different. I will actually find my list that I printed, um, had someone print for me, and I will try to do as many of the remaining jobs on the list as I can. I have company coming hopefully the weekend before Christmas and since one of those people is a bit of a clean freak/OCD about germs/picky person I would like to be able to open my door to her with peace this time.

First goal: To get in my laundry room and restack all boxes I've let get out of place. This will actually let me walk on more than a foot of the floor in there.

Second goal: To dust all rooms in this house from ceiling to floor. Trust me it needs it.

Third goal: To declutter yet even more toys, beyond the 2 trash bags in the trunk of my car.

Fourth goal: To get my kitchen cleaned and keep my dishes done up each day. I know that's not technically a PCCX goal but hey, it will help me to be able to eat to keep up my strenght.

and finally,

Fifth goal: To thoroughly clean all the floors in this house, hopefully with a steam cleaner and a good mop.

I will be posting more often hopefully...don't hold your breath for more than a sentence or two each time though. Wouldn't want to disappoint you.

Bad 'manda

I am a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad PCCX-er. We are very nearly at the mid-point - you hear that, people, halfway done! * panic* - and the only pccx related things I have done are the inside of the freezer and the inside of one small dresser, oh, and most of an empty hallway (walls and floor). *hanging head in shame* I had the house looking fairly decent (if one didn't look too closely), and then I had back-to-back Bad Days this week and it's back to being a wreck. Possibly some areas not as wrecked as before, but still...

I'm bi-polar. I also have arthritis and other issues. So my mental status swings from depressed and useless to happy and ambitious, and my physical status swings from nearly crippled to not so bad. On an exceptionally good day the ups match, and on a particularly bad day the downs match. This week was one of those bad days...actually two in a row. On the plus side that is now behind me for a while, and things should be looking up. If I'm really lucky I won't have another downer until after PCCX is all over. Yeah, that'll happen. *snort*

Anyway...the house is trashed so one might think that this weekend's goal would be to get it picked up. Not so, Grasshopper. It's a weekend, which means everyone's home and in the way. It also means trips to town and shopping, which in turn means prep and follow-up and coupons to clip and file and mail and... So my goal for the rest of this weekend is to get ALL computer and paper related work done (as much as possible) before bedtime Sunday night. Correction: before NIC and ICA Sunday night, and I suppose Challenge too. So that's everything done by, say, 7:30pm tomorrow (I like to start late so I can skip commercials). The biggest thing on my side is that there's almost no shopping to be done tomorrow morning. Partly because grocery money is low, being the end of the month, and partly because there aren't any great deals at the store this week. There's a very few deals at other stores that maybe I might want to pick up if I wanted to store-hop, but I really don't so I'll just pass on them. That saves a ton in terms of time and effort. Shoot, I wouldn't even have to go if it weren't for the weekly requirement of newspapers and dog food and milk. What I wouldn't give for a store here that carried the big city paper on Sundays.

So much of the writing and coupon filing and such tonight and tomorrow, general pickup and getting back to order Monday, one room to be determined Tuesday, another Wednesday, another Thursday, panic about Halloween costumes Friday, Halloween carnival Saturday, back to shopping and writing Sunday. Sounds like a plan. Keep an eye out for mid-point challenges to be posted here and elsewhere this weekend.

Oh! I almost forgot - again - that I really, really need to take some pictures for holiday cards. That will definitely be this weekend as well.