Tag Archives: Goals

The Flow

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I’ve been in thinking mode again lately. It’s because I realised there’s so much change going on at the moment. I’ve written before that I’m keeping a planner, it’s a cool planner as it allows you to set goals for a year and keep track of your progress over time. I’ve set goals for three months, one year, the next three years, and a lifetime. It’s how the planner works. Each month you’ll have to evaluate and write a report about the past 30/31 days, check if you reached your goals, highlight your accomplishments, write down how you can approve things etc.etc. I’m doing this because I need to keep track on how I’ve spent my spare time to see if it is balanced and if I get to spend enough time on things that relax me.

Ten days ago I wrote my evaluation about April and whilst checking back on dates I found out that I actually had accomplish quite a lot more than I was expecting. It surprised me to see that some of the deadlines I’d set for goals somewhere in the near future (three months from now or even further away) I’d already either started or finished. It has to do with certain situations that I’m fed up with in a way. I’ve been fed up with myself for a while already ;) Let me explain that. Because of 12 hour days (or often more), I started to neglect myself. I’d come home and would choose the easy and quick option because I wasn’t organised, meaning for instance, that I would get a take-away during the week and cook over the weekends.

At times I’m home at 20.30 or later thus I don’t feel like cooking anymore because I’m tired and would like to relax for an hour. My days start at 05.30. So I had a hard time trying to keep things balanced as they were supposed to be. I never expected this to get out of hand due to unhealthy eating and not enough exercise, as I was always pretty keen on keeping an eye on this. Slowly but surely things went sideways and I sensed it straight away but I didn’t act on it immediately. Then there was the vertebral fracture and the arthrosis which kept me from doing anything health-wise because I am too scared to aggravate the situation. I felt stuck and I wasn’t happy with myself at all until the day I decided enough is enough.

I took baby steps but I took them… and I’m surprised to see how good it feels. I went to the gym around the corner and asked if they had a physiotherapist specialised in vertebral fractures and they did! I’ve made a 180 once again ;) I’m eating extremely healthy, plan things in advance, prepare lunch for work instead of buying premade food, bake my own bread (special bread as I cut out carbs completely) and exercise like crazy. I love the exercises and workout because I can feel it makes my back stronger and I have less pain each day. I’m still not allowed to do some of the exercise that I really love, like rowing or running as it puts too much strain on my back, but there will be a day in the near future where I can!

I’ve also bought a fitness tracker to see how I’m doing on a daily basis, to my surprise I get enough exercise during the day, I’m way above the goals it sets for me, e.g. at times I walk 12km per day because I love to walk. So far I really enjoy doing all this, which -to be honest- I didn’t expect. The only downside is that I’m supposed to workout twice a week and for the last six weeks the commute has been a total pain with a minimum of half hour delays each day. Hopefully I’ll be able to work from home on Wednesday so I can go to the gym in the evening. My next step is buying an apartment, yes I know it’s something completely different, but it’s all part of a bigger plan. I’m working on this, let’s say I’m prepping for my future.

The Planner

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It was my birthday recently, something I seem to care about less and less each year since it seems to be forgotten by those who shouldn’t. Lowering your expectations is a good strategy at times. It’s ok to just spoil yourself, instead of ‘waiting’ for others to remember one particular day in a year. I suspected it would be the same this time so I’d decided to buy myself a gift which I found and bought online in the US.

I’d been looking for a tool to help organise my thoughts and ideas for some time now. I’ve been using a digital one but it never felt the same as a paper version for some reason, since I like to sketch or draw or add notes. A few weeks ago I found the perfect solution and decided to order it as a gift to myself. It was delivered on my birthday, a nice coincidence as I was home that day ‘awaiting’ the next assignment.

This means that whenever a suitable project comes up I have to apply for it. Till then I need to be available and on standby. Once a week I go to the head office and see or meet colleagues -mainly sales peeps- to introduce myself and hopefully they’ll remember me when the right assignment comes up. I either go there by train and bus which takes me over an hour and half -if I’m lucky- or I’ll go with a colleague by car.

I don’t have a car since I live right in the centre of town, the busiest and one of the oldest areas with narrow streets, lots of canals and too many tourists all year round. I have to apply for a permit with a five years waiting list which doesn’t guarantee a parking space. So what’s the point? My last assignment for the government was eighteen months of daily commuting, 1.5 hours to get there and another 1.5 to get home.

Truth is I’m kind of fed up… When I started working for this global company I’d promised myself to do this line of work for five years at the most. It will be five years this July… This recent assignment was supposed to be my last because I’d been thinking about starting a business doing what I really love to do: be creative and design… I took courses in jewellery making (precious metals) and started to design/make items.

I’ve received many compliments so far and I love doing this but it’s extremely time-consuming. I’ll continue to develop my skills as it has given me lots of new ideas and inspiration and I’m learning different techniques each time which is fun! It’s just not going to be my core business, that will be something completely different based on an idea I had six years ago. Something that I’m looking into again recently.

And this is what the planner is going to be used for, as a road map to where I want to be in a certain amount of time. It’s not a regular planner, it’s one that helps you set goals, draw mind maps, create tasks, track progress and give direction. One of my tasks is to write again, so every other week I’ll be updating this blog. Writing is a great way to structure thoughts, to focus on a goal and make things happen.

It’s also something that helps me clear my head and I’ve been neglecting it for too long. So here I am back on track, ready for a new quest… (I can now cross this off of ‘today’s focus’ hehe)