Starting Lighter

A couple people who saw me on Friday at the annual morning welcome for the new year commented that I'd lost weight....so that feels really good.  It's subtle and it's slow but it's there.  I've been a bit more 'relaxed' about it since the Vegas trip - I eat sweet cereal now and then and we've been on a Drumstick binge the last few nights.  One good thing about having the young men around is Drumsticks don't last too long....two boxes gone in about 4 days.  We are out now and we won't be restocking.  It's a lot easier to not cheat when you simply don't bring stuff into the house to cheat with. 

So the year is starting lighter.....and I took that to heart in other areas as well. 

I downloaded a Kindle book about organization and have already tried a couple quick changes at work that are really helping.  True, it's been three days of massive culling - made six trips to the recycle bins at work today and my shred bin is hugely full.  Boy, howdy - there was a lot of unnecessary stuff taking up valuable space.  It feels great to have purged stuff out and moved stuff around a bit.  It's still a work-in-process but my boss noticed - or he probably just figured better to encourage me and pretend it looked better.  It will be better. 

The realization that probably 90% of my overwhelmed feelings stem from that 'out of control' overcast is what's prompting me to make changes.  I'm still a stacker at heart and always will be - but making small changes to help structure things a little more will hopefully help.  Little light bulbs happening as I read the suggestions in the book - not any real profound things - but just stuff that reading it in print really help reinforces. 

I have always proven that 80% or more of the 'stuff' that crosses my desk in paper form will self resolve without a single action on my part being required or even contemplated.  I've been a 'stacker' in every job I've had - and while others use huge amounts of time to file and label and memo and calendar, I just 'leave it be'.  Read it and if it's an action item, I know it.  If it's trash, I know that, too.  If it's 'I'm not sure' or 'wait and see', it goes in a 'stack'.  So just acknowledging that there will be a 'stack' - or file - or drawer - or wherever I end up defining 'the place' to put those things in - will help.  Those stacks multiply and migrate 'cuz there hasn't been 'one place' for them - but now there is.  And once I get that ingrained into my psyche, I know I can keep things better organized.  I've done it before. 

Truth is: my office has never felt like 'home' to me...not that work should be home-like....but I've never felt 'settled in'. 

I got my five year service pin last Friday - so maybe I figure after five successful years, it's time to settle in.....

Welcome to the new me in 2012-2013.....