It's surprisingly easy to get 20 tiny little things done in a day, to earn a dollar for charity:water. Hopefully I'll have my puzzle book paid off by the end of the week! On the other hand, on a bad day I don't get much done...
For example, Saturday was an average day. I managed eight things from my list - which means I didn't do any of the other things I mentioned yesterday. But I am starting to get used to some of them. I'm told that if you do something for 21 days in a row, every day, then it becomes a habit. I hope it's that easy!
Here's today's list:
Monday 14th June, 2010
Got up before midday: 5c
Did some stretching in bed: 5c
Made the bed: 5c
Had a substantial breakfast: 5c
Put my breakfast bowl in the dishwasher: 5c
Did something I intended to do: 5c (In fact I did all the things I wrote on my plan yesterday.)
Took some junk off my desk: 5c
Did something fun: 5c (most of which was planned!)
Ate a proper lunch: 5c
Cleaned up after lunch: 5c
Drank a glass of water: 5c
Brushed Smith's hair: 5c
Brushed my hair: 5c
Took out some recycling: 5c
Checked my worm farm: 5c
Had a shower: 5c
Scrubbed the shower: 5c
Swished the toilet: 5c
Moisturised my face: 5c
Changed the sheets on the bed to clean ones: 5c
So I've earned a dollar so far, and the day's not even done :) I did procrastinate about making dinner, though ... I wasn't sure if my sister April would be home. But I guess I'll get to that eventually. I do know what's for dinner ... I just need to make it!
However, right now, before I get distracted by the internets even more, I'm going to try and total up everything I've earned since I started this plan. That way I'll have a daily total and a cumulative total.
There are days missing, because I didn't write anything down. Too bad. I'm such a perfectionist, that I normally wouldn't be able to get past that, and I'd get discouraged and give up! This time I'm just going to accept it and keep going.
Here's the first entry, copied from my private blog. These days (two weeks later, heh) I just write them down in an exercise book and try to write them here each day.
Day 1: 29th May 2010
Made bed: 5c
Ate something substantial for breakfast: 5c
Put breakfast bowl in dishwasther: 5c
Got dressed in something other than a dressing gown: 5c
Went out of the house - by myself, even! 5c
Got something done that I intended to do: 5c
Drank a glass of water: 5c
Total: 35c
Day 2: 30th May 2010
Made bed: 5c
Got dressed: 5c
Had something substantial for breakfast: 5c
Put breakfast bowl in dishwasher: 5c
Went out of the house (with Smith): 5c
Made food: 5c
Cleaned up after making food (somewhat): 5c
Put dinner plate in dishwasher: 5c
Going to bed before midnight: 5c
Day 2 total: 40c
Cumulative total: 75c
Day 3: 31st May 2010
Got out of bed before midday: 5c
Made bed: 5c
Got dressed: 5c
Put dishes lying around into the dishwasher: 5c
Put the dishwasher on: 5c
Took out the rubbish: 5c
Had a glass of water: 5c
Went out of the house: 5c
Cleared the table after dinner: 5c
Put my dinner plate in the dishwasher: 5c
Shiny sink: 5c
Doing something I intended to do: 5c
Sleep before midnight: 5c
Total: 65c
Cumulative total: $1.40
Day 4, the first day I wrote this blog:
Got out of bed before midday: 5c
Made bed: 5c
Got dressed: 5c
Brushed my hair: 5c
Had a glass of water: 5c
Ate something substantial for breakfast: 5c
Put my breakfast bowl in the dishwasher: 5c
Cleared the dish drying rack: 5c (This was where I was up to when I posted for the first time: $1.80.)
Wrote my blog: 5c
Did something I intended to do: 5c
Had a shower:: 5c
Daily total: 55c
Cumulative total: $1.95
Yes, you did read it right ... this is the first day of the plan that 'having a shower' happened. Unfortunately I haven't been taking very good care of myself lately! I'm blessed with not having much BO to speak of, so I've been in the habit of going without. You'll also notice that there wasn't much of 'brushing hair' or 'moisturising my face' in the early days either, and don't even ask me about teeth! Not very good hygiene for a doctor ... But now I'm trying to change :)
Of course, after the initial burst of energy, my enthusiasm started to flag ... After writing my blog and finally perfecting the details, I didn't end up getting out of the house. Which is sad, because Smith was visiting a friend that evening and I'd planned to go too. I'd run out of energy by that point, and I had to ring up and tell Smith to go alone.
Wednesday, 2nd June 2010
Got up before midday: 5c
Made bed: 5c
Got dressed: 5c
Made soup (from my own chicken stock and fresh ingredients): 5c
Had a shower: 5c
Swished the toilet: 5c
Scrubbed the shower recess: 5c
Did something I intended to do: 5c
Swiped the bathroom vanity: 5c
Moisturised my face: 5c
Had a glass of water: 5c
Daily total: 55c
Cumulative total: $2.50
"Getting to bed before midnight" didn't happen on that day, or the subsequent days. I got caught up in mindless games on the computer, and didn't even make it out of the house to an important appointment (I had to ring up and reschedule for the next day).
Here's what I managed on the 3rd of June:
Got up in time for my appointment (9.30am): 5c
Made the bed: 5c
Got dressed, right up to shoes: 5c
Brushed my hair: 5c
Had a glass of water: 5c
Went out of the house: 5c
At that point I stopped writing things down and I probably stopped doing most of the little things as well. I got depressed over trying to decide what I wanted to do for the next six months, and procrastinated over ... just about everything.
But then again:
Daily total for 3rd June: 30c
Cumulative total: $2.80
I was still making progress :)
I didn't write anything else down until the next Monday, 7th June. At breakfast time that day I tried to record what I'd done the previous day, and here is what I came up with:
Sunday, 6th June
Had a substantial breakfast: 5c
Got dressed in more than a dressing gown: 5c
Put my breakfast bowl in the dishwasher: 5c
Made dinner: 5c
Put plate in the dishwasher: 5c
Daily total: 25c
Cumulative total: $3.05
I guess this is the first day I forgot to make the bed. As I remember, I crawled out of bed some time in the afternoon, and came straight out to the living room. As for what there was between breakfast and dinner, it was mostly computer games I think. I'm not sure. When I spend my days doing nothing, I don't even remember... Then again, who knows what time breakfast actually took place...
Monday 7th June
Got up before midday: 5c
Made bed: 5c
Got dressed: 5c
Had a substantial breakfast: 5c
And the writing stops there, again. There are 4 days unaccounted for, until I started writing my blog again on Saturday after listening to Pam and meeting my Inner Kiddie. But here's the totals, anyway:
Monday, 7th June: 20c
Saturday, 12th June: 40c
Sunday, 13th June: $1.00
Monday, 14th June, so far: $1.00
The total so far: $5.65! Wow, I didn't know I was more than halfway to paying off my puzzle book!
As for the days in between ... Well, yesterday I came up with a way of accounting for them. I'm going to severely underestimate, because as much as I like giving to charity, I don't like to overstate my own achievements. What I can do, though, is go through my list of all the things I can think of that I could have done, or that I've listed on other days ... and for each one, if I'm sure that I did it on at least one of the missing days then I'll count it. Once. For 5c.
I've been meaning to make a list of everything I've done so far, so here goes...
At least once on the six missing days, did I...
Get out of bed before midday? Yes. 5c.
Do some stretching in bed? No.
Make the bed? Yes. 5c.
Get dressed properly, suitable for going out? Yes. 5c
Do some foot and balance exercises? I remember doing this the day after Pilates class last week. 5c. See, this is why I wanted to count things from the missing days!
Brush my hair? Hmm. Not that I can remember.
Have a substantial breakfast? Pretty sure I did that at least once last week. 5c.
Put my breakfast bowl in the dishwasher? Yes, I'm getting good at remembering that one. 5c.
Clear out the dishwashing rack? Yes. 5c. (I actually wrote this down for 4th June but it was written a few days later.)
Put on the washing machine? Yes, I think, although I can't remember which day. 5c.
Brush Smith's hair? Yes, last Thursday. He even let me plait it. 5c.
Take out garbage, or the recycling? I think maybe, but I'm not really sure.
Clean my desk? No. *wrinkles nose*
Check my worm farm? No. I hadn't done that for a few months, until today.
Go out of the house? I can't remember. That's kind of sad.
Do something I intended to do? I think once. 5c.
Make and eat lunch? Yes, there was one day when I reminded my sister. 5c.
Cleaned up after lunch? I think I managed it that day. 5c.
Did something fun? I don't remember. (Computer games don't count.)
Actually yes, I did go out to the Botanical Gardens twice with my Dad. 5c. And 5c for going out of the house, now that I remember. And I brushed my hair that day, that's another 5c. Still not sure about taking out the recycling, though.
Spent time with my family: 5c. (I had lunch with my Mum on Friday.)
Got in touch with a friend: 5c.
Go to Pilates class? Yes. 5c. I'm supposed to do this every Wednesday.
Had a glass of water? I think so. I must have. At least once. 5c.
Had a shower? At least once. 5c.
Scrubbed the shower? I think I remember doing this on Friday, or was it Thursday? 5c.
Swished the toilet? Another thing I wrote down from the 4th of June. 5c.
Swiped the bathroom vanity? No.
Moisturised my face? No, I don't think so.
Made dinner? Yes, at least once. 5c.
Cleaned up a bit after making dinner? Yes. 5c.
Put my plate in the dishwasher? Yes. 5c.
Cleaned up the kitchen after eating dinner? I don't think so. It did get a bit messy, and Smith did some cleaning.
Wrote my blog? Nop.
Made and wrote down plans for the next day? Yes. 5c. (There's evidence on my calendar!)
Washed the dishes? Don't think so.
Changed the sheets? No. Eww.
Shined my sink? Not sure. I think I would have written it down if I'd been that motivated.
Avoided prolonged media use before 6pm? No. Sunday was the first day ever that I managed that. Didn't manage it today, either.
Went to bed before midnight? At least once, I'm sure. 5c.
And ... that's all I can think of. Wow, this post is turning into a marathon. Given that there are ... 39 things on the list, and most of them only take about a minute, it actually shouldn't be too hard to get 20 of them done in a day ... I'll have to see if I can keep it up!
And the total for The Week That Wasn't: $1.35. Which brings my total to ... $7.90! Yay! I'll have earned my puzzle book by the end of the day! 1/250th of a well, here we come!
I don't think I'll be getting to bed before midnight, though...
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