Thursday 27 August 2015

What have you done today?

This is a loaded question which I dread!

Some days, I've done everything off my long list and some, other days I've done hardly anything except get out of bed (rare but those days exist). Across a week, I generally get everything done that must be done; I try to have some time for enjoying myself socialising and I am always planning and list writing for other jobs to get done.

The point is, I don't want my days to be measured by what I have (or increasingly haven't) achieved.

I'm not at work any more. I don't need to have Performance Management meetings, setting personal and work targets, being measured by a traffic light system (!!) as to whether I achieved last year's targets. It's not like my pay is linked to me meeting my targets anyway!

I want my day to be measured by whether our home is comfortable enough, whether there is food on the table and clothes to be worn. Are the animals happy, healthy and well fed. Am I happy and contented? Does my family have what it needs to thrive? Have I had moments of joy in my day where I have stopped to appreciate my surroundings? Have I been creative?

If the answer is Yes, then my day has been just fine thanks :)

How do you measure your days when you go to bed at night?

15 comments:

  1. All sounds great to me. It took me 2 - 3 years before I stopped thinking I should be doing more. Now, our days pass using a list; if it doesn't get done, it doesn't matter, just goes onto the next days list. Other than a clean home, cooking, washing and ironing, gardening, the rest gets fitted in when we feel like it.

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    1. Perhaps I'm still in 'work mode' expecting to report back at the end of every day? It will change as and when Mr D stops work I think.....

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  2. As long as I do the everyday stuff thats needs doing, feeding mucking out etc, the rest of my time is spent doing what I am in the mood to do and is often dictated by the weather I am happy with my lot :-)

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    1. That's good to hear. Mind you, you always seem to fit in a lot in to your days! I always do the minimum - if I stop doing that, I'll be off to see my GP!

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  3. Other than the usual cooking, housework etc., I don't have set routines.....I just do whatever happens to need doing that day, plus anything else I feel like doing. Like you, I no longer work, so can please myself what I do and when. It does annoy me when people, upon finding out I don't go out to work anymore, ask "What do you do with yourself all day?". As if work defined me and I no longer have a role in life now I'm not doing a job of work outside the home. My answer is usually "Whatever I feel like doing!".

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    1. I think I may be going through a patch of not feeling like doing much which is really not in my normal nature. I'm sure it will pass naturally. The summer holidays are always difficult with no sense of routine. Unfortunately it was Mr D that kept asking the question. I don't think he meant anything by it, but I realised just how much it irritated me to think I needed to have done something in order to have had a good day!!

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  4. It's when anyone asks me 'what have you done today' that my mind goes blank ... completely blank. And yet somehow all the jobs get done, all the animals are fed, watered and walked and the house is reasonably clean, so I must be doing something mustn't I ;-)

    I measure my day by the fact that everything in my care is alive and well ..... and hopefully happy.

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    1. Yes, a reply of "fed the animals, loaded the dishwasher, unloaded the dishwasher, washed some coloureds, dusted the lounge ....." Etc doesn't seem very exciting does it??
      I like the way you measure your day - I haven't killed anything in my care yet, so I can consider most days a success then!! :)

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  5. We (hubby and I) recently made the decision for me to quit my job and stay home. People are already asking me if I am bored already. I haven't even started to do all the stuff I put off while I was at work and even when I am done with the list I can't see being bored. I enjoy staying home. The plan was never for me to go to work full time. I just sort of 'fell' into the job. Worst decision I made - though the money was nice! I am beginning to feel like my old self and hubby is happier because I'm not so grumpy lol. It is taking some adjustment but definitely worth it! I like the way you measure your days.

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    1. It does take some adjusting to doesn't it - I think I'm still adjusting, but in a second phase of adjustment. There is always plenty to do - looking after a house and garden in a simple and meaningful way and caring for your family and friends is a worthwhile job - just unpaid!

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  6. I must confess to being a chronic list maker...but I include blogging, and all the other bits that make up my day. It's nice to have a record of the little things, as well as more significant "day fillers". Jx

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    1. I love lists and when I look back on my big A4 diary in which I write everything across the year, it fascinates me to see what I've done, what we've eaten etc. it's proof that I do achieve!! :)

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  7. I think your days sound like they are full of all the right things. I worked for years and then fell very ill and my life has become limited. People don't ask me what I have been up to, instead they go on and on about how terribly busy they are and all they are acheiving. Let them. I find great pleasure in the things you mentioned. I want to make a good home for my family and fill it with warmth, creativity and the smell of home cooking. Hope you have a lovely weekend, whatever your days consist in. Pam in Norway x

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    1. Thank you. I'm sorry to hear that you have had issues with your health and hope that now your are 'working' in a different way, you are feeling better. Keeping ourselves well is so much more important than ticking off every item on a long job list! :)

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