I keep learning the same things over and over - some things take a while to sink in with me! One thing that I'm relearning is that I don't do well without a list of things to do and goals for the day/week/month, etc. Dr. D talks about this some in "Live Right 4 Your Type", and I learned it then, but never felt like it applied to me. Of course, at the time, I had a job, lots going on, and HAD a list of goals and things to do each day, whether or not I realized it. When I got laid off last summer, I found myself at loose ends, and whiled away each day with not very much to do. I watched too much TV, stayed up too late, ate junkier food than normal, etc. The lack of routine, lack of structure, and lack of daily tasks or goals to achieve really threw me off-kilter. Even working a night job helped me get back on track a bit, though it didn't solve the problem entirely. I HAD to have a routine and list of things to do each day or I didn't get anything done at all, and slept all day. Even so, it wasn't good for my mental or physical health, and I'm SO glad I'm out of there!

So now that our trips are done and I've moved and am starting to get settled in my new home with Gordon, I'm reestablishing some old routines. Even washing my face and brushing my teeth before going to sleep was hard to remember some nights, and though it never completely went by the wayside, I woke up with mascara on my pillow and occasionally woke up with furry teeth because I crashed having forgotten to brush them the night before. I got that routine back on track quickly, but was still floundering in other ways. My sleeping patterns were erratic, and I still wasn't feeling great. The other day I went to Starbucks and sat for a couple hours writing, and figured out that I need daily goals and things to do, and I prefer a busy schedule that allows for flexibility and enough 'me' time, but that has me going 90 miles an hour with my hair on fire most of the time. So I set up a schedule that I implemented yesterday, and so far it is working well, with minor tweaks. This will be in effect until I start working again, and then we'll see what I can do from there to keep doing what I want to do every day.

So far, here's what I'm doing.

8:30 - get up, journal, eat something light

9:30 - go for a walk

10:30 - shower and dress for the day

11:30 - outline my jobhunting goals, check email, blog, etc.

12:00 - lunch

1:00 - 5:00 - jobhunting, resume stuff, meetings, etc.

5:00 - unpack, organize, get more settled in

6:00 - 10:00 - dinner, time w/Gordon

10:00 - midnight - read, get ready for bed

So far (and granted, it's only been a couple of days) it's been working well for me. I'm feeling better about myself, getting more done, exercising again, and eating pretty well. I'm sure it will need a little fine-tuning, but as a basic framework for my day, it's a great start.