Cleaning Up - 2020 ROW80 R4 Oct 25 Check-In

I have made a lot of progress on my goals recently. And taken steps backwards too. As such, I'm a tad frustrated.

BLOGGING

I'm planning to make some tweaks. This update format is OK for goal check ins, but I'd like to do some more focused posts on singular topics soon. I'm not sure how soon that will be, but it's one of the ideas I have swimming around in my noggin. Given everything I have going on this year, it may be more of a 2021 effort.

DRAWING

I am taking a natural drawing course. I started late, so I'm currently playing catch up. I'm in module 2 and module 3 will be due on Wednesday. I handed in the module 2 work without having gone through the full material, so it's definitely not as good as it could be.

You can follow my progress on my Instagram @thewritebuttons.

HOME

I have finally gotten the last of the drywall down. Unfortunately, there is about 2 feet of base plate in the wall framing that is rotten. On the other side is the hallway, so I can't really just rip it out. I sprayed the moldy bits of the drywall anyway because whatever happens next will be safer with dead mold.

My couch project is progressing well and I decided it will actually be a chaise instead of a couch because I've always wanted one. I plan to reuse the metal bed frame even as I have saws and drill bits for that. This will mean it's on wheels, so I can clean under it easily.

I now have a screen that separates my living room from my office. When I started this and I realized too late that I aligned them with the wrong side of the screen, so I have some holes to fill eventually. I find it works best if I don't have the light on in the living room.

I'm aiming to get a lot of the home cleaning stuff handled before Monday. They are checking our smoke detectors out, so I'd like to have my place looking as good as possible for then.

FITNESS

Fitness is mainly cleaning and my bathroom reno right now. The room is small and warm like a sauna, so I imagine it's helping as I don't need to be in there long to get sweating profusely. 

I did splurge on Ring Fit for the Switch. I'm looking forward to getting to it soon. This has let me declutter some old Wii items.

MENTAL HEALTH

I'm having more better days, which motivates me to continue doing things that are good for my mental health like using social media less. The weather has been a bit hard lately though as it has been raining and cold most days. It's time to supplement with Vitamin D.

One of the things that leads to overwhelm is not dealing with things. Whether that is the clutter in one's home, relationship issues, job dissatisfaction, or anything else one may be putting off. I've felt that as I've worked on my goals and improving my environment, I've reduced my anxiety and have been increasingly having more energy and motivation to work on my goals. Two of the things I've had to learn have been how to give myself a break and that not everything has to be done perfectly. I laughed when my therapist told me that I need to go easy on myself (especially this year with the pandemic and all) because I'm so terrible at that. I rarely do things for myself like just take a day to game and relax. I agonize over purchasing things that may bring me joy because I'll see it more as a want than a need. But I often advise friends to give themselves a break!

WRITING

Deciding to self-publish has helped me feel freer to just write the thing. There were pieces that I didn't highlight as much as I should and others I put too much attention on. Part of this was figuring out who I am as an author. I have a varied background including social work, computer networking, business, project management, and I'm currently working in procurement. They say to write what you know and I felt like I could do a lot more with my computer background, so that is something I have been doing with the edits.

In terms of Sparks, I have had to go back to the beginning to ensure all the elements I want are there. I've had to reimagine parts of the story I previously took for granted such as modes of transportation. Of all the edits I have done on this story, this is the one I am most energized about. It feels like I've found what I was missing.