Bingo Helps Me Get Things Done

Bingo can be used as a learning re-enforcer, learning game, or motivator.

Last week I wrote about Bingo as a Getting to Know You game. I also mentioned that you could use it as a learning re-enforcer or motivator for the dreaded to-do list.

All week I have been using it as a motivator for the dreaded to-do list. And it has been fun! So my June habit is to use this everyday. You can go here to fill out and then print your own BINGO TO-DO List card.

I copy-and-pasted the Bingo square into a WORD doc. Each day I “save as” the previous day’s doc with the current day’s date. I now have a stack of Bingo cards for each day last week letting me know what I did.

Some to-do’s are the same for everyday. Like . . . .

• Take a.m. vitamins (not taking any p.m. vitamins yet)
• Drink 4 C. water (This is on three times. I have 3-4 cup containers that I fill and drink from)
• Declutter/extra clean 15 minutes a day (in the kitchen right now)
• Water plants
• Read Bible
• Pray for ______________
• Walk with Chip

And then each morning I put on the things that really need to get done that day. Here is some of what I included . . . .

• Put Goodwill stuff into car
• Take stuff to Goodwill
• Input New Testament notes from last class
• Research/write New Testament paper
• Take out trash

I am supposed to give myself a prize every time I get a Bingo. Don’t tell my daughter I haven’t. So far getting so much done has been the prize! Most days I do not complete all the squares. But I don’t feel defeated because I actually see how much I get done and see that more could NOT be reasonably completed.

For more Smart Habit Saturday ideas go here.

Why I Have Sleep Issues

• I drink tea or hot chocolate in the evening. (I mainly drink English Breakfast tea.)
• I read and study in bed.
• I use my computer or watch TV right up to bedtime.
• I don’t have a regular bedtime.
• I don’t exercise much.
• I eat surgery snacks at night -especially if I am studying and/or writing a paper for school.
• I do most of my heavy thinking at night. (I.e. I worry or work on creative projects.)

All of these are sleep no-no’s.

Last week I decided that I’d work on my sleep habits: Get to bed by 10 pm. 4 nights a week. That didn’t happen even one night.

But I did get to bed by 11 p.m. on 4 nights. And I was so tired I didn’t even have to count backwards in order to fall asleep. This is unusual for me. If I stay up past 10, I typically get a second wind and can’t get to sleep for hours!

If I am really serious about learning to sleep well, I need to make a sleep plan. AND FOLLOW IT. I will take 2 or 3 things from the above list and do the opposite.

1. Go to bed at a regular hour. I’ll still aim for 10 p.m. 4 nights a week.
2. I’d like to walk 3-4 times a week, preferably with Chip.
3. I wonder if I could stop all media interaction one hour before bedtime? I’ll try and see what happens.

What advice do you have regarding sleep? I’m all ears.

For more Smart Habit Saturday posts go here. Write one of your own and be sure to let know, so I can have a read.

Week 4 Summary of Habits for 51 Things

Almost 4 weeks done in my 52 weeks of accomplishing my 51 Things List.

Click here for the summary of week one.

Here’s a recap of the past 4 weeks on my 18 Habits – I worked on 8 of them –with varying degrees of success.

1. Taking a walk with Chip 5 nights a week – More like 3 nights is what I did. Which is a shame because he enjoys this so much.
2. Picking up trash once a week. Yep – Did that each week.
3. Crafty thing once a month. Yep. Did that yesteday and today. Yesterday I made up some fliers for the bulletin board at church. My roomie designed a card (and flier) to pass out to the women for M&M Saturday on April 19th. My part was to cut and glue. Today I made about 16 butterflies for the Women’s Ministry bulletin board. Easy, fast and cute! Go here for the directions and visual from HowAboutOrange. I used the paper I had (scrapbook) and I think they are cute! Check out the bulletin board to have a looksee.
4. Sabbath Rest twice a month. Thiis Sunay will be a busy one; so, I did this once. And it was wonderful.
5. Write letters on 3rd Sunday. Check. And I’ve taken time to write a few letters/notes on other Sundays as well. One of the letters I recently sent was put into an envelope made from a calendar page – a picture of a sassy, bright watermelon.
6. Random Act of Kindness (8 times these 52 weeks). Did this twice. 🙂
7. Invite people to my house (6 times these 52 weeks). Did this once. I cooked all the food on Saturday. House was cleaned on Saturday. All I had to do was set the table and reheat the food. It was an easy, delightful way to celebrate with my guests.
8. Go to bed by 10 p.m. nights a week. Not so good. Last week I was semi-regular about getting to bed by 11. The other weeks not so good. This is the habit I’ll be working on for Smart Habit Saturday until I have my sleep patterns under control.

So how are your habits coming along? Have you taken the time to decide how you’d like to be different this time next year? Come join me as I change and impact my world one habit at a time.

18 Habits to Instill This 50th Year

When I made up my 51 Things List, I was crazy.  I mixed habits with one-time events. But since these are all things I want to accomplish this year, I’ll stick with my original list.

Of course this list is not comprehensive of ALL the habits I want in my life.  Just ones I’ll concentrate on this 50th year of my life.

Educational Habits

• Practice Typing (6 times a month)
• Listen to/Do Spanish (6 times a month)

Finance Habits

• Participate in an investing group

Others Habits

• Write letters (8 of them this year)
• Do Random Acts of Kindness (8 of them this year)
• Special time with each niece (3 times this year)
• Special time with each of my children (3 times this year)
• Take a walk with Chip (5 times each week)

Personal Habits

• Go to bed by 10 pm (4 nights per week)
• Sabbath rest (2 Sundays a month)
• Do one crafty thing each month
• Find a sport I like (do 3 times a week)
• Invite someone to my house (6 times this year)
• Join an accountability group
• Get my nails done (every 6 weeks)
• Pick up trash ( 1 time every week)

Spiritual Habits

• Tithe to BtN and Missions (6 times each)
• Reflect on day (3 times each week)

These are my proposed habits. What are yours?

April’s New Habit is a Sleeper (SMART Habit Saturday)

I looked over my 51 Things List to see which habit I’ll instil next. 18 if the 51 items are habits.  Unfortunately most are not daily, but weekly or monthlyish habits. That will be harder to accomplish.  😦

In trying to decide which habit to do next, I considered which one would have the most impact. That would be my sleep habit. If I stay up past 10, I get a second wind that doesn’t shut down until 1 a.m. Since I get up around 6 a.m., that makes for a very tired girl. Staying up late is a consitent pattern with me. Not only am I tired, but I am also peckish. Most of my “poor” eating happens during these hours.

So April’s SMART habit is getting to bed by 10 a.m. 4 nights a week.

Last month’s habit was “getting my church clothes/shoes/purse ready on Saturday. The first thing Saturday morning. Before I do anything else.”  I’ve been mostly successful in that. Let me tell you, my mornings are noticably more peaceful when I do that. Especially because I always wait until the last minute to get ready to go anywhere!

A group of women are participating in SMART Habit Saurday. Click here to see who’s doing what. Lara at The Lazy Organizer is creator and host of these themed Saturday postings.

Making Sunday More Enjoyable

Sundays are full of pre-church stuff, church stuff, and then post-church stuff. I get home about 1 pm and I am TIRED! Not only because of the Sunday morning schedule, but also because of a busy day and late night before.

And since I didn’t get ready for Sunday’s needs in advance, I have to get up early on Sunday to do them.

No more!

I want a sane Sunday. I want to enjoy Sunday. I want to be ready to hear and interact with the sermon and the people around me. I want to have a happy, refreshed spirit as I worship God. I want to be refreshed come Monday and not wiped out!

So the first habit I will work on is getting my church clothes/shoes/purse ready on Saturday. The first thing Saturday morning. Before I do anything else. Even breakfast. I’ll report back how it went.

What do you do to have a sane Sunday? Want to join me in my new pursuit?

Go to The Lazy Organizer, the sponsor of Smart Habit Saturday, to read about others who are adding smart habits to their lives.