It is 599 since lockdown was announced in South Africa.

It is 318 days since the start of 2021.

And there are only 47 days left until 2022!

… and I realised – today is 599 days since lockdown started.

• What impact did lockdown have on your life during the last 5990 days?
• What are you planning to do for the next 47 days (46 since today is almost over) before the start of 2022?
• What are you planning for 2022?

I have decided to quit doing all the things that doesn’t bring me any joy or if it does not add value to my life.

I was sitting in the office starting my sentence with “I have resigned …” and before I could complete the sentence, my colleague said: WTF? She thought I resigned my job, but I only resigned something that took so much of my energy that each time my phone rang and it was somebody from that project, I sighed deeply and felt as if all my energy was drained from me! Now the phone can ring and I gladly sort things out, because I know they won’t be stealing my joy for much longer.

The next thing is to sit down with all the things that I do or, at least, want to do every day / week / month:

• Full-time job – not negotiable
• Part-time job for publishers – not negotiable
• Part-time bookkeeping and other admin clients – partly negotiable
• Hobbies – a lot of decision-making as to which hobbies stay and which goes
• Studies – not negotiable
• Needlework group – we already discussed less time
• Various NGO’s – definitely negotiable
• CWAA – Cape Women’s Agricultural Association – negotiable
• Reading & watching movies – not negotiable on the books, but maybe negotiable on movies
• Socialising with friends and family – I need to plan quality time as this should be non-negotiable
• Church & Bible Study – not negotiable
• Walking (prepping for part of the Camino de Santiago – 300km over 3 to 4 weeks) – not negotiable, but I need a proper strategy for preparation to 2023 / 2024.
• Bible School – not negotiable, but I need to plan my time better
• Writing school, blogging, etc. – need a better strategy and better time management, as this is also not negotiable
• Me-time! – not negotiable

The sad part is that I have 46 days to decide what stays and what goes. Certain stuff like job and church is non-negotiable, some are partly negotiable and others fully negotiable.  And once I have decided what stays, I have to plan my diary properly to make sure that I allocate enough time to all that I feel is adding value to my life.

One thing I have already started … since September 2020 I have been taking ME-TIME on a regular basis by going away for weekends, either visiting friends in tranquil Aurora, West Coast or staying at gorgeous spots in the West Coast on my own … taking much needed recharging time!

So, watch this space – in 46 days I would have made up my mind as to what stays and what goes. 😊

The post 599 days and counting appeared first on Vat 'n blaaskans / Take a break.

Elke vrou is bietjie ek-tyd aan haarself verskuldig. Ek het die langnaweek wat verby is bietjie tyd vir myself gevat. Ek het beplan om baie te stap en te lees, maar ek het omtrent net baie geslaap en geëet! Dit was nie noodwendig sleg vir my menswees nie, net die skaal het geprotesteer.

Mens hoef egter nie weg te gaan om bietjie ek-tyd te vat nie. Jy kan sommer net vir jouself bederf deur jou hare te laat was en knip by ’n haarsalon, dalk so bietjie kleur by te sit. Of gaan sit rustig en laat jou naels doen.

Daardie dae wat jy af voel, probeer net so bietjie maskara en lipstiffie – dit sal sommer jou moraal ook lig. Of maak ’n koffie-afspraak met een van jou vriendinne! Jy sal weet watter daardie oomblik reg vir jou gemoed sal wees!

Ek-tyd is totaal en al underrated. Alle vroue ~ of jy nou iemand se Mamma is, iemand se vrou is of sterk staan in die korporatiewe wêreld ~ skuld dit vir hulself. Een ding wat ek elke maand vir myself doen, is ’n lekker bederf vir my naels!

Wat is jou perfekte ek-tyd-oomblik?

The post Dag 13 – Vroue-maand 2020 appeared first on Vat 'n blaaskans / Take a break.