30 Day Challenge Day 10 - tired

This is when I need to be careful.  I did my grass time, my paper time (tossing more photos) and my art time - I would post the cardinals again but I didn't change it much and maybe made it a little muddier - alas! I'm actually excited about the new art piece I'm working on - it's another colorful whimsical project - a sort of rebus.  I don't want to give it away yet, so here's a far away photo:

And here are beautiful plumbago flowers from the yard during grass time:

What I need to be careful about is what happens when I'm tired.  Right now I'm kind of overriding my body (we do this SOO much in our culture!)  I don't want to miss a day or miss a post so I'm showing up here, and that feels good, but I'm also tired.  And my brain is listing all the things that I didn't do today instead of remembering the ones I did, because it's tired.  It's feeding me a story about how since I'm tired this plan is not sustainable, especially since we didn't do everything we'd like to have done today.  My brain has somehow forgotten the six assorted meetings and calls I had today, the amazing coaching with a fabulous client, the brunch with a dear old friend - the happy way the day went!  It's just cranky and silly.  So I'm going to fix my body some comfort food then put my tired mind to bed.  All is well.  The answer to tired, I'm finally learning, is rest.  Not caffeine, not more tasks, not feeling bad, just plain old rest.

30 Day Challenge Day 4: Indulged

Blue sky this morning - first time in a few days.  This is the tree I sit under in the yard during my ten minute grass time.

And I indulged in more than the allotted time in my sketchbook today - I had a class on the phone and while I listened diligently and took nine pages of notes, I also produced this:

After the fall cypress swamp drawing I was ready for some green.  A snail on the palmettos from a photograph during one of my wordless walks.

It doesn't have to be good.  It just feels great to do it.  In middle school I would doodle excessively in the margins of my notebooks, especially in history class.  Castles, eyes, girls, dresses, branches full of flowers, trees, cats --  and I still remember those lectures like they were yesterday.  I was happy to indulge and prioritize creative time for myself today.

30 Day Challenge - a surprising decision

So, I'm starting my 30 day challenge - actually I began it yesterday, and knowing that my focus right now is on time management and accomplishing tasks, you might be surprised that my 30 day challenge isn't about checking stuff off the to do list.  I'm still going to keep doing my ten minutes of daily paper management which is working so well! I think I've got a habit going that I can stick with!

I'm going to continue my 10 minute morning grass time as well.  Sitting with my feet on the grass and almost always a cat or two nearby, taking time to plan my day, read something inspirational and then just sit for ten minutes letting everything be - it's the perfect way for me to begin every wild and precious day.

Here's my surprising challenge:  For the next 30 days, I'm going to paint or draw for 30 minutes.  When I first imagined having control over my own schedule years ago, I pictured lots of free time to be creative.  While I have no special talents, I enjoy playing with drawing and painting, and I'm struck with a pang of longing when I go to galleries and admire the colorful paintings, especially when they're of the Louisiana wetlands.

But painting and drawing always ends up at the bottom of the list.  It doesn't get priority because I need to do the "important" things first.  Well, that's changing! The truth is, I have time to paint or draw and get my other tasks done.  When I've tried this strategy in the past I've noticed that by rewarding myself some time every day with something fulfilling and fun, I manage to be more productive.  Similarly, when people who are trying to lose weight focus less on food and more on doing and finding things that bring them joy and happiness - when they start practicing extreme self-care - they find that something shifts-- and their eating habits magically become healthier, without even thinking about it.

So that's my plan for the month.  I'm excited!

I'm not quite ready to post my "artwork" for all to see, but I'm also going to take at least one nature photo a day - I've always loved that and I'll make it part of my morning grass time, usually.  Today's photo is a raindrop caught on the ginger.

So are you thinking about it?  What would you like to do for your 30 day challenge? Join our Facebook Group (It's open - come on in!) to share your plan and get support from a whole passel of coaches!  And tune in here - I'll be posting my nature photo and letting you know how each day goes!  I'd also love to hear from you in the comments - what kind of challenge feels delicious to you this month?