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Archive for February, 2023

Books I Read This Month: January 2023

Posted in Books/Reading, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 26, 2023| 3 Comments »

It is my first reading wrap up of 2023, and I am late writing about what I read in January. Back in January, I announced that my goal on Goodreads for this year is 75 books. I completed only one book in the month of January and that was No Exit by Taylor Adams. It was FANTASTIC! This suspenseful psychological thriller was chosen for the Chills, Thrills, & Kills Book Club that I host with my friend Kelsi. It was the perfect winter read to start off the new year. I found it engrossing, action-packed, and at times, quite brutal.

Darby Thorne is attending college in Colorado. The story begins with her heading home to be with her dying mom in Utah. Due to an intense snowstorm, she is forced to make an unexpected detour to a remote rest stop in the Colorado Rockies. There, she encounters four strangers, who seem to be experiencing a similar fate. Shortly after arriving, she makes a horrifying discovery that will forever change her life. Now, it becomes a race against the clock to not only save herself, but to also attempt to save a total stranger. I loved it! I loved the setting (cold and isolated), Darby (flawed but strong), and the intensity throughout the entire story. What a terrific introduction to Taylor Adams! 5-star read for me.

Although I only completed one book in the month of January, I began the new year reading quite a bit. I started five other books for various projects I am participating in for this year. Except for Stardust (finished in February), I am currently still reading the books on the following list.

  • Stardust by Neil Gaiman (Cozy Cottage Book Club – January)
  • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F%#k by Mark Manson (Buddy Read with sister Rachel)
  • Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam (#20 on 23 for 2023 List; participating in the Tranquility by Tuesday Challenge)
  • Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley (Year of Christie project)
  • Choose Joy: 3-Minute Devotions for Women by Barbour Books (on my 23 Books to Read in 2023 List)

Overall, dear reader, I am pleased with where I am at with my reading in 2023. February has been a terrific reading month because of Folklore February, my very first readathon I hosted on my channel. I look forward, sometime in the next couple of weeks, to share everything I read for Folklore February as well as what I read for other reading events throughout February. My book club selection for February is The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay. To see my current book reviews or books I have read in the past, follow me on Goodreads at Katherine Loyacano. Happiness!

“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” ~ Mortimer J. Adler

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Tranquility By Tuesday: Rule #3 – Move by 3 p.m.

Posted in Time management, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 21, 2023| 4 Comments »

The rule focused on for Week 3 of the Tranquility by Tuesday challenge was Move by 3 p.m. The purpose of this rule is to move by 3 p.m. by doing some form of physical activity for at least 10 minutes in the first half of the day (Monday-Sunday). Laura Vanderkam leaves it up to you how you move, but many of her suggestions are fitness-related activities (push-ups, sit-ups, walking, bicep curls, etc.). However, running around the yard with your dog or child can count as well. Personally, I think anything that requires your body to move, including grocery shopping, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, etc. can also count for this rule.

Vanderkam acknowledges this rule may not work for everyone; however, she states in a blog post, “Even if you get no other activity, building in a 10 minute walk break will allow you to focus for the rest of the workday. Choosing to move in the first half of the day means the day is less likely to get away from you.”

Is 10 minutes before 3 p.m. worth it? Well, 150 minutes per week of aerobic activity is the current health recommendation. You are almost halfway there with the daily 10 minutes before 3 p.m., so if you add another 11.5 minutes later in the day, you could hit the 150 minutes per week mark. Take it even a step further and go outside, add a few more minutes, and you can count it for Gretchen Rubin’s #Outside23in23 which is a perfect way to use the Strategy of Pairing to achieve those two goals.

Before the week started, I pondered the planning questions for Rule #3 that Laura sent us on Friday, 03 February and made a plan for the week.

  • On average, how much exercise do you currently do per week? When do you exercise and what kind of exercise do you do? Sadly, I am currently NOT exercising – ZERO, ZILCH, NADA
  • What sort of physical activity could you do for 10 minutes before 3 p.m. during an average day? Walk. I love walking, especially by myself while listening to a podcast.
  • Think about today: When could you do this activity today? Between 10:00-1:00 (Friday)
  • How about tomorrow? When could you do this activity tomorrow? Morning would be best. Ideally, I’d like to go walk after my cup of coffee, but before breakfast.
  • What challenges might keep you from building more physical activity into your life? ME
  • How can you address these challenges? I would really need to plan this 10-minute break into my schedule, but even then I’m not sure if I will honor it because it really depends on how involved I am in whatever I am working on at that moment in time.

RESULTS

I did awful with this rule. I did not plan on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. I lived by my calendar and a to-do list if I even made one. I knew I was going out of town on Thursday, so I used every moment to get videos filmed and edited while prepping for an audition, and completing other necessary tasks. Now, that does not mean I did not move on a couple of evenings. On Thursday evening, Barry and I walked on the beach for about an hour before we went to dinner.

REFLECTION

  • About how much exercise did you get this week? When did you do this and how much did you do? One day on Sunday from 9:00-10:00 if you count grocery shopping at Walmart on Sunday. I did walk on the beach for an hour with Barry on the night we arrived at the beach (this was not before 3 p.m.).
  • What effects did you see in your life from moving by 3 p.m. most days? None, because I failed at this rule in the context of setting a specific 10 minutes per day to be physically active before 3 p.m.
  • What challenges did you face in implementing this week’s strategy? My only challenge is myself and my lack of planning. Honestly, I really didn’t give this rule a second thought this week with everything I had going on as well as preparing for my overnight trip out of town.
  • How did you deal with these challenges? n/a
  • If you needed to modify this rule, how did you do so? I guess I modified it by including grocery shopping as a physical activity. HA!
  • How likely are you to continue to move by 3 p.m.? Highly unlikely; however, instead of 7 days per week, I may strive for at least 3 days per week. No promises.
  • Did you plan on Fridays? Unfortunately, NO.
  • Did you observe a bedtime this week? YES! And, I feel like I am continuing to improve with this rule. On all 7 nights, I was ready for sleep by 11:20 (only 2 nights I read before lights out; 1 night I watched YouTube videos; 1 night I was posting a book picture on Instagram; 1 night I was doing some chores; 1 night I took my shower and went straight to bed; and the night at the beach I was downloading video clips from our traveling adventures onto my iPad). I did NO mindless scrolling on social media on any of the nights before lights out. Overall, better than the first week as far as scrolling on social media; my winding down routine is still a work in progress, and I was asleep no later than 11:20PM.

With completing Rule #3, I finished Part 1 of Tranquility by Tuesday, dear reader. I still believe planning on Fridays is the key, so I will try harder with this rule. I will still continue working on giving myself a bedtime, and I will try to move by 3 p.m. at least three times during the week. These first three rules are meant to “calm the chaos.” I am looking forward to the second part of the book as well as the next four rules. Happiness!

“Committing to move by 3 p.m. also nudges you to pay attention to how your energy ebbs and flows during the day, and the control you can exercise over your energy levels.” ~ Laura Vanderkam

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Tranquility By Tuesday: Rule #2 – Plan on Fridays

Posted in Time management, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 14, 2023| 2 Comments »

The rule focused on for Week 2 of the Tranquility by Tuesday challenge was Plan on Fridays. The purpose of this rule is to set aside 20 minutes on a Friday afternoon to consider how you want to spend your upcoming week (Monday-Sunday). Laura mentions, “when the session occurs depends on personal preference” (38). However, if you do not already have a designated planning time or a preference, she recommends Fridays because most people are wrapping up a week instead of starting something new. Monday mornings are more productive because whatever is on the schedule can be attended to first thing in the morning. Weekends can be tentatively planned a week ahead and upgraded if necessary. And, the Sunday scaries can be kept at bay because last minute planning the night before will not cause unnecessary anxiety, especially if someone has to be reached to schedule an appointment first thing Monday morning.

After assessing your commitments, think about what you want to achieve with the time you have left in your time bank for the week. Remember, we all start with 168 hours. Laura suggests making a list with three categories (career, relationships, and self) and listing a few items under each category that you want to do when your schedule allows the time. The items on this list are important; however, they are not urgent. You want to do them even if you do not have to do them. This is also where creating a List of 100 Dreams can come in handy.

Back in 2019, I created a List of 100 Dreams. This activity can be found in Laura’s book, 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think as well as in this chapter of Tranquility by Tuesday (pages 53-55). I actually enjoy making lists, and making this particular list was invigorating because it includes all the things you want to experience or want to add to your life. Like her list of planning categories on Fridays, Laura suggests dividing your list of 100 dreams into the same three categories: career, relationships, and self. I highly recommend this activity.

Before the week started, I pondered the planning questions for Rule #2 that Laura sent us on Friday, 27 January and made a plan for the week.

  • What does your planning look like now? I plan sporadically; usually on Saturday or Sundays, more so on Sundays when I plan a schedule; unfortunately, there are some weeks where I just follow what is in my monthly planner
  • This rule is about creating a designated weekly planning time. When, approximately, can you schedule a weekly planning time into your life? If you are planning to use Fridays, when on Friday generally works? Friday or Saturday mornings
  • How much time do you think it will take to plan the week? at least 30 minutes, maybe longer
  • What benefits do you think you would see (or do you see) from a designated weekly planning time? It allows you to be a better steward of your time. You can make more time for what is important to you.
  • What obstacles might keep you from a regular planning practice? Unexpected things can crop up during the planning time, especially in the afternoon. There is also the possibility that I will just forget because I’m occupied with something else.
  • How can you address these challenges? For me, I will strive for Friday mornings; however, Saturday morning will be my back up planning time.

RESULTS

The first step I took was creating my list of things I wanted to do for the week. While I am not currently working a job outside my home, I still have skills I am working on towards career goals.

  • Career: 1) Create Youtube Video 2) Learn StreamYard
  • Relationships: 1) Buddy Read with Sister 2) Lunch with Sue
  • Self: 1) Eye Appointment 2) Improv Class

Then, I used different colored pens to write my commitments and the activities I wanted to do for the week on my weekly planning page. Using the colored pens make planning a bit more fun. It adds a bit of whimsy.

REFLECTION

On Thursday I received reflection questions from Laura to review how well I did with planning on Fridays.

  • How did planning on Friday (or your chosen planning day) affect your week? Planning on Friday really made the week run more smoothly.
  • What challenges did you face while implementing this week’s strategy? I had no problems implementing this week’s strategy, partly because I knew I was participating in this challenge. However, it did take me longer than 20 minutes.
  • How did you deal with these challenges? n/a
  • Did you need to modify this rule? If so, how? The way my planning page is set up, I planned Sunday-Saturday instead of Monday-Sunday.
  • How likely are you to continue to plan on Fridays? Very likely; however, I will designate Fridays for planning (preferably in the morning with Saturday mornings as a back up.
  • Did you observe a bedtime this past week? Somewhat. On 5 nights, I was ready for sleep by 11:30 (4 nights I read before lights out; 1 night I watched tv). On the other two nights, I either scrolled on social media (Tuesday) or worked on a video (Thursday). Of course, I had improv on Thursday night, and I worked on a video after my shower. Overall, better than the previous week as far as my winding down routine and reading before sleep.

Two rules down and seven more to go, dear reader. Remembering to plan on Fridays will be the key. I will also continue working on giving myself a bedtime. Both of these rules take a small amount of organizing and require strategies within themselves to prompt reminding me to implement them. At least, for me anyway. As with developing any new habit, it takes a little time, plenty of commitment, and a whole lot of patience. I keep striving towards making life better by being a good steward of time. Happiness!

“As for feeling tired and distracted, remember that planning work takes less energy than actually doing the tasks you’re planning. It is far easier to write “call three prospective clients” in a planner than to actually call those clients. That Friday-afternoon fatigue is precisely why this is a good time for planning.” ~ Laura Vanderkam, Tranquility by Tuesday

Note: Photo at the top is by Content Pixie on Pexels.com.

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Tranquility By Tuesday: Rule #1 – Give Yourself a Bedtime

Posted in Time management, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 7, 2023| 4 Comments »

The rule focused on for Week 1 of the Tranquility by Tuesday challenge was Give Yourself a Bedtime. I knew from the start that committing to a bedtime was going to be tough for me. Since the beginning of the new year, I have been going to bed whenever I feel like it, and sometimes it has been 1:00 in the morning by the time I climb into bed for my evening slumber. I no longer have an established morning routine, and I rarely set an alarm since leaving my instructional coaching job, but I manage to get enough sleep.

Laura mentioned (in a recent blog post about Rule #1) that she chose it first “because it’s important to get enough sleep and a regular bedtime gives structure to the day.” I could not agree more and was happy to start with this rule because as I mentioned in my post, “My RESULTS of the 2023 Time Tracking Challenge,” I want a more structured daily routine (M-F), especially in the mornings and throughout the day. 

Before the week started, I pondered the planning questions for Rule #1 that Laura sent us on Friday, 20 January and made a plan for the week.

  • What time would you like to wake up most mornings? 6:00 AM
  • About how many hours of sleep do you need on an average night? 7 hours
  • What time do you generally need to be in bed in order to get this amount of sleep? 11:00 PM
  • About how much time do you need before your bedtime to relax and get ready? 30 minutes
  • What might keep you from going to bed at your bedtime? working on video projects for my YouTube channel
  • How do you plan to address these challenges? no idea

RESULTS

    I am thrilled that I continued time tracking along with this challenge because I averaged 7.5 hours of sleep not 7 hours. This is huge because I now have to readjust the time I start winding down and going to sleep by a half hour or decide to wake up at 6:30 instead of 6:00 in the morning.

    My time tracking log also revealed the reasons for staying up later than 11:00 PM. On Friday night, I showered at 10:30 and from 11:00-11:45, I played on my phone, scrolling through social media. On Monday night, I showered at 10:15 and from 10:35-11:30, I edited a video. On Tuesday night, I showered at 8:45 and from 9:15-11:45, I was either scrolling on social media or watching YouTube videos. On Thursday night, I attended my improv class from 6:00-8:00; showered at 9:25, and from 9:50-11:50, I edited a video.

    REFLECTION

    On Thursday I received reflection questions from Laura to review how well I did with giving myself a bedtime. I did not go to sleep one single night at 11:00 PM. I missed the mark EVERY single night. Boy, do I have my work cut out for me!

    • How did observing a bedtime affect you this week? more conscious of trying to go to bed on time
    • What challenges did you face in implementing this week’s strategy? me (only see this after reviewing my time tracking log)
    • How did you deal with these challenges? sadly, I didn’t deal with it, but I can from this point on
    • If you were not able to observe a bedtime, what prevented you from doing so? getting sucked into playing on my phone (effortless fun) and continuing to work on my videos past my bedtime
    • If you needed to modify the rule, how did you do so? n/a
    • How likely are you to continue observing a bedtime? very likely; I need to take this rule more seriously

    Additionally, I realized that I do NOT have a good winding down routine. I did try to set an alarm to stop working on Monday night; however, when the alarm went off, I was right in the middle of what I was working on and did not want to stop. I still think an alarm is effective; however, I will need to set it for at least 15 minutes earlier than the time I ideally want to stop and start winding down before bedtime. I also think I need some sort of transition to signal my brain that it is time to wind down for the evening. Of course, this will take trial and error over the next few weeks.

    Participating in this challenge has been enjoyable, dear reader. I am discovering some interesting information about myself. This is definitely a know yourself better experiment. Going forward with Rule #1, I need to readjust my bedtime if I want to wake up at 6:00 AM, be more intentional with observing a regular bedtime (set a timer), create a transition to wind down before bed, and eliminate phone time prior to winding down. With a bit of practice and the right attitude, I really think I can make giving myself a bedtime a good habit. Happiness!

    “If you would like to experience the additional energy and optimism that comes from being well rested, choose a time that you would like to go to sleep more nights than not. Then, commit to getting in bed by that time unless you have a compelling reason not to.” ~ Laura Vanderkam, Tranquility by Tuesday

    Note: Photo at the top is by Kristin Vogt on Pexels.com.

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