Happy Saturn’s Day

Well, not going to get to a Crossing Bifrost post this week either.  I  really need to get this realignment done so I can get on with other things. I will double dip next week to make it up to you. Maybe.

Now that I have aligned each Virtue with its Principle, Goal and Bucket List item, there is one task that remains so my three weekly journal posts are complete – Aligning my Routines so that what is on them is actively taking steps to reach those goals and items.

I don’t consider routine or forming routines to be a restriction on living life, but rather a tool so goals can be achieved.  The goal is having more time to live life and achieve results that make my life more enjoyable. They actually, in the long run, give me more time to do what I want to do. This is because routine should be about being efficient and effective.

There are other issues with this as well.  Certain habits that I need to develop because they good habits. Stuff that is more connected directly to virtue than a goal or item on my bucket list. But all of it must relate to a goal at least indirectly in that it keeps me developing skills and habits that help strengthen me in some way so the goals are easier to achieve. The other thing is activities that are flexible in that they can be used for one goal and then transition into another. Study, Reading and Writing are good examples as they can be used professionally, as a student or personally.

I have the same resources as anyone else: Time, Possessions and Relationships.  Finding ways to utilize them to help me get to what I need and want is the issue here and Routines are a tool to help me do that.  What I need to do here as well is identify things that will be the product of routine and others that are just items to list to be done.

Step One – List the Goals and Look at Full Bucket List.

Goal’s Listed

1. Maintain a daily blog streak of one post per day for an entire year (365 days).
2. Cross one thing off bucket list every year.  Deadline March 31st.
3. To Write a Non-Fiction Book by March 31st, 2020
4. Find a new, better paying job by the end of March 2019 or before.
5. Finalize last requirements for my degree – Internship by May 2019
6. By March 31st of 2020, to be the leader of a support group of some kind.
7. To follow A FULL Paleo Diet Plan from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020.
8. To engage in an exercise program that involves weightlifting, hiking/walking and stretching/ yoga an average of three days a week from April 1st, 2019 to March 31st, 2020
9. Celebrate my wife and I’s 30th anniversary (June 10th, 2019) with a mini-vacation

Bucket List Items Listed: 

1. Hike the Northern Lakeshore Trail along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
2. Go Back to Budapest, Hungary for a vacation.
3. Learn Latin by March 31st 2020 to the point I can take a test and show my self proficient.
4. To own and run my own successful business or company.
5. Write A Novel and Get it Published.
6. To own a home by March 2024.
7. Do a rebellious act on April Fools Day, April 1st, 2020.
8. To get at least one tattoo by March 18th, 2020.
9. Discover all the countries of origin from my genetics and visit them all by March 18th, 2029.

Step Two – Revise Routines.  Basically, I am coping the old routine and making revisions based on the above.

Morning Routine:

1. Review Nine Noble Virtues (NNV), Principles, Goals and Bucket List
2. Meditation – 3 min.
3. Check Communications and Email.
4. Paper Journal: Create Daily Log and To Do List.
5. Breakfast, Medications and Supplements.
6. Shower and Personal Hygiene
7. Get Dressed for the Day

This is the first thing in the morning when I get up stuff. This is every morning, every day. The idea is to set a tone and plan what to do for the day as well as remind myself of obligations. Once this is done, it is time to work the daily routine. I am having breakfast again as it is the best way to remember to take my medications and supplements.

 Daily Routine: (in priority order) 

1. Wife: Communication / Cuddle Time
2. Blogging – Organize, revise, write new post for next day, 15 min. work on fiction.
3. Reading – half hour. Priority order: work, school, pleasure
4. Study / Homework / Research: half hour per day minimum or until all necessary work is completed.
5. Personal Business: record financial transactions, savings plan actions, budgeting, appointments, other.
6. Check Communications and Email after 2 pm but before 4 pm.
7. Latin – half hour
8. Weekly Routine Items
9. Nutrition: Daily Carb Count – 1

The reason this is in priority order is because it might not get finished every day and Weekly Routine Items are a special case in that when they can be done and need to be done they jump to the top of the list. Blogging is there at the top because of the goal to blog a post every day.  Reading is essential for school and writing.  Study/ Homework / Research covers work, school and writing.  Personal Business is expanded to include a lot of items.  Just wanted a time every day to ask the questions: “What personal business needs to be done today? And did it get done?”.  Latin I debated but truth is it is probably one of those things I will have to do every day or it won’t happen at all. Nutrition is still a work in progress but allowing one carb high carb item a day will keep me from going completely nuts.

Savings Plan actions are purposeful activities where I save money toward certain ends.  Right now I am saving a set number of dollars every paycheck toward my tattoos and a mini-vacation with the wife for our anniversary. Then after that saving up for the genetics test will be on my list. The idea is things that need money to do them need a regular plan of building that money to achieve them.

The trick with the Daily is it needs to be long enough so I don’t put it off but short enough that it is doable even when the weekly items are added. It has to have the right balance and that is why the Morning Routine has me making this up every morning to as the question of is this both Realistic and Challenging enough?

Weekly Routine: 

1. Weightlifting/Stretching – Minimum 3 days per week.
2. Walking – Minimum 3 days a week
3. Job Search – Minimum 3 days a week
4. Cleaning – 3 days a week.
5. Writing – 3 times a week
6. Cheat Meal Count: 3 per week.

As you can see, I have decided to go with the number three a lot.  Mostly this makes the log entry easy.  Lifting and Stretching will come back into my life next week as I have decided to spend some of my tax return money on a gym memberships and I will probably do it every day after work.  This should actually give me four days as week, but I allow for special things to happen where I might have to forgo once a week or so.  Walking will probably be on days off along with the job search and cleaning. Writing I am going to look for days where it will work. The compensation for only having one high carb source a day is to give myself three cheat meals a week and that includes special occasions.

That should do it other than spending the rest of today doing preparation work to make this start happening Sun’s Day.  Mostly this involves redoing mt lists for meditation and getting my paper journal prepared. This process has really streamlined things as well as made it simpler and more lined up.  One thing leads to another pretty well. That said, glad the process is over although there are some small items to do on some of the items listed above to get the specifics.  Time to make this thing work.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!