30 Days of Getting Shit Done Revisited

Awhile back I had decided to spend 30 days tackling the various tasks I was procrastinating on doing-I called it “30 Days of Getting Shit Done”.  I didn’t get very far in the 30 days before quitting.  As I sit here with an overwhelming amount of tasks that (still) need to get done -I’m willing to give it another go.  If you have a long list of “to-do’s” as well, then keep reading and consider joining me.

First, let me “out” myself as a very skilled procrastinator.  For me procrastination is part of a stressful, overwhelming pattern.  The pattern goes like this… anxiety over performing a task(s) (or sometimes just being generally anxious) leads to>>> procrastination which leads to>>>the task(s) becomes more unmanageable which means>>>I become even more overwhelmed and anxious about the task(s) which means>>> my general level of anxiety and overwhelm build and spill over into other areas of my life which means >>> life begins to feel very unmanageable and I get stuck in a state of avoidance.  Action is the only antidote to this pattern.  Action is what “30 Days of Getting Shit Done” is about.

So, I made the decision to do this 30 days in the middle of November.  The skilled procrastinator voice in my head said, “You should definitely start this on the 1st day of a month, not the middle.  And you should definitely start on a Monday rather than a Wednesday”.  Tempting, but I know that “NOW!” is the ONLY time to deal with procrastination.  Besides, I want some relief from this stressed, overwhelmed feeling NOW-not on the first of next month.

I will share  how I am doing this 30 days, but feel free to do your 30 days however you wish.

***Instructions for 30 Days of Getting Shit Done***
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1.  Make a list of all the tasks that need done that are weighing you down.

  What is weighing you down?  What are you avoiding doing?  Tasks left undone can take up a lot of mental energy and create stress.  Make a list of what needs done for you to free up that mental energy.  For me this is going to be a lot of cleaning and organizing type stuff, but there will also be things like phone calls on my list.  I will be making an exhaustive list, but I am reminding myself that I do NOT need to get all of it done in this 30 days.  Making a thorough list will allow me to see exactly how much needs done and help me to prioritize. I can see where I am at the end of the 30 days and do another 30 days if I want/need to.

2.  Break down tasks into manageable chunks.

I am feeling overwhelmed, so giving myself big overwhelming tasks to do isn’t going to move me into action.  So, I have decided to break tasks down into actions that will take about 15 minutes to do.  For example, I have “clean/organize bathroom closet” on my list.  So, under the task of  the bathroom closet I will have listed “1st shelf”, “2nd shelf”, “3rd shelf”, and “4th shelf”.  Each shelf should take about 15 minutes.  I can manage 15 minutes, but the idea of doing the whole closet in one sitting is overwhelming.  The idea is to  keep the tasks manageable and realistically do-able.

3.  Do one task from the list each day, for the next 30 days.

I can manage 15 minutes of task-tackling each day.  15 minutes is a small amount of time, but over a month it adds up.  If my math is correct that equals 7.5 hours of work done by the end of  the 30 days.  That’s a lot of  time!!  If I were to do that 7.5 hours of work in one (or even over two or three) sittings it would be very hard on me.  Time and energy are limited resources-especially with this autoimmune disease.  I simply can’t do the superwoman thing like I used to.  I used to be very good about staying on top of what needed done, but now I often struggle to take care of the basic tasks of living.   But…I think if I am organized and systematic I can get a lot done in these bite sized chunks of time.

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So…what do you think?  Care to join me?  Today my task will be to write my list.  Good luck everybody! xo

Happy Birthday to Me and a Gift for You

(Coloring contest is now closed!)
Hello friends!  Today is my birthday-WooHoo!  I made it to 41 years! Sometimes that feels like a HUGE accomplishment.  Life can be very, very challenging at times.  I have had depression in varying degrees as long as I can remember.  There were many times when I did not think I'd make it this far-and frankly didn't want to. So, for me, 41 years is a big deal!!  I am happy with my life and myself.  I look back on my 41 years and see a lot of learning and growth, and that's kinda what life is all about I think.  I am proud of the person I am and the way I choose to live and be. It might not look like a very impressive life from the outside, but from where I'm sitting...it's a pretty amazing life. Anyway-I'm looking forward to a quiet day today.  I want to make art and spend the day reflecting on and appreciating the 41 years I've got under my belt. And hopefully take a nap as my good friend "Insomnia" made a visit. But first I have this for you...

I finished my coloring page-yay!  In case you missed it, I am creating a coloring book and have a coloring contest going on.  You can get the details  and your free printable coloring page HERE.  And see the second "kid prize" (which is ridiculously cute) that I am offering HERE.  And I made a printable PDF of my finished mixed media page/painting for you HERE.  Print it out and hang it on your fridge, cut it up into pieces and make a collage, shrink it down and make it into a postcard...use it however you like (just personal use only please).

 How I created my page...
I initially planned to use some regular 'ol crayola crayons and color my page like I did when I was a little kid.  (By the way...I have some fun tips for coloring with crayons and  that I plan to share another time).  When I sat down with my crayons I changed my mind.  I felt pulled to make my page into a painting.  I wanted to challenge myself to take this simple coloring page and get a little more creative with it.  I printed my page onto some lightweight watercolor paper that was not heavily textured (just some cheapie stuff from the Michael's kids art section).  I started with watercolors, adding color to everything but the hand shape (which I painted with gold acrylic paint).  I then deepened some areas of color with colored pencils (I am madly in love with Prismacolor Premier pencils!!)   Initially I thought I would use the circle shapes for written journaling, but ended up simply adding  an "Om" symbol near the bottom of my painting. I added marks around the border with gold and silver markers and outlined some of the shapes with gel pens.  I named it "Hope Grows".   I really love how my painting turned out!!   I hope you enjoy it too whether you print it out or not.  xo

Facebook Update

Okay, back on FB for now.  I had to prove my identity, which I find ridiculous and infuriating.  I told them so (not that they care).  Anyway, just wanted everyone to know that I'm back on FB.  I will keep the G+ group open in case I have further problems with FB, but don't plan to use it much.  Busy working on painting my sculpture today, so I'd better get back to it!  I hope everyone else is having a great day too!! xo

UPDATE: Facbook problems (again) and Coloring Page Sneak Peek

Hello friends!  Again I am having problems with FB.  I won't go into it (again) because it's kind of exhausting, so I'll just say that I am no longer on FB.  Unfortunately I recently started a group there that would (in part) serve as a place for readers to share photos, etc.  For example, I was asking everyone to share their colored pages for the coloring contest there.  And now, I have no way to access it.  So, I  created a G+ page for us to share pics, etc. you can find it HERE.  And the event page for the coloring contest is HERE If you haven't read my post about the coloring contest yet you can find it HERE and an update on the post where I offer another prize (a very cute prize I might add) can be found HERE.  Until I find a good place for you guys to share pics...

Anyway....here is a sneak peek of my own coloring page.   I will share more about my process when my page is complete.  See you on G+!

Mindfulness Art Journal and a Product Review

Hi guys!  I'm going on  virtually no sleep, so forgive any bad grammar and misspellings.  Anyway....recently my artist friend Amber was kind enough to gift me a set of her groovy printables (yay!)   She did it just 'cuz she's a sweetie.  I had the idea to make something with them and then write a blog post about it.  So...I did not get compensated for this review-the product was a gift because we are friends and the creator had no idea I would choose to review it like this.

I decided to make a quick art journal.  I think making the book and decorating all the pages...whole project was maybe 2 hours.  All my art journaling friends will appreciate how super mega FAST that is!  Before I get started on telling you about the book.  Amber's Etsy shop where she sells her original art, etc can be found HERE and her shop at Scrapbookgraphics (this is where you can buy the kit I am using) is HERE.  Specifically I am using the  Namaste Printable Art Collage Sheet Background and Namaste Printable Mini Art Journal Kit.  You can get both kits for a total of under $6.  So, yeah...just go ahead and get 'em.  You can print them out as many times as you like, so it's a great deal!!

I made my book by using her backgrounds for my pages.  I took two of her background pages which I had printed out and put them together with right sides facing out.  Then I stitched around the edges with my sewing machine.   I left some of the threads hanging long because I like the look.  I repeated until I had all pages ready to bind.  To bind my book I simply used my sewing machine to stitch right down the center of my stack of pages.  I folded in half along the stitch line and then got busy decorating my pages.  Oh...and I used two lengths of ribbon to close the book...one stiched to the front cover and one to the back. Now I'll add a little bit of description to each of the pics.

The pic below is the front cover.  All images are Amber's but the scraps of papers under the girl and under the words.

This spread features a photocopy of a girl from one of my other art journals. I added a spot for journaling on the upper right of the right side.  The "life is unpredictable" card is a project life card.  I decorated it with scraps of pretty paper from Amber's kit.

This page features plenty of my own art.  The eye is a stamp that I carved myself, the OM is a stencil I made and the flower is a stencil I made as well.  I stenciled the flower in black and then doodled over it with paint pens.  And...another Project Life card which has a photocopy of some of my art underneath. I tried to leave some room on most of the pages to do further artwork and written journaling.

This page has some of my favorite elements from her kit.  The scalloped painted edge on the left and the scribbly rainbow come with the kit.  I then added some of her words to a Project Life card along with a photocopy of some of my art.  Lots of room to add to this page, which I love.

 
This might be my favorite page(s) in the book.  The girl is a photocopy of a work I recently did.  The triangle on her forehead is from the kit as well as the words.  The left page has  a large Project Life card as a fold out "page".  I added a copy of one of my artworks to it.

 I went very simple with the last spread.  I wanted LOTS of room to do art and writing here.  Just a Project Life card and some words from the kit.

Finally...the most important remind of all...to breathe  I used another stencil I made myself and one of my favorite techniques of doodling over my stenciled image.

I hope you like the project and please do check out Amber's shops if you feel moved to do so.  xo

Update on Coloring Contest (Another Prize!!)

Just a quick post to let you all know that I'm adding a second prize to the coloring contest!  This will be the "kid prize".  After a dear friend's daughter entered I thought, "A painting probably isn't a super fun prize for a kid.  We need something fun for kids".  So...the prize for the winning kid will be one of my matchbox bear sets!! WooHoo!!  These little guys are "famous" (okay using the term very very loosely-lol!)   ...they are featured in the book "Microcrafts" in which I was a contributing author.  I sewed this little guy by hand and even knit him an itsy bitsy blanket!  So...if you have kids in your life be sure to invite them to join the contest!  You can download your printable coloring page HERE.  See contest rules, how to enter,  and the "grown up prize" in the post below. xo

And do check out Microcrafts if you get a chance.  It's a really cool book-and I'm not just saying that because I contributed projects to the book I promise!  Check out Microcrafts now.

Coloring Contest and Bunny's Super Mega Happy Fun Group

(coloring contest is closed!)

Hello friends!  I want to let you know that I'm creating a Facebook group to go along with my blog. It's called Bunny's Super Mega Happy Fun Group.  I will be using the group for all sorts of fun things (stay tuned for future fun!),  a space for us all to share how we use my printables, and lots more. So, I invite you to join me there.

The first fun thing we will do in the group is have a coloring contest!!  I am working on creating a coloring book.  The coloring book is in the (very) early stages, but I couldn't wait to share one of the pages with you.  You can get your FREE copy HERE.  The prize is an original mixed media painting titled "Mermaid at Midnight" (fits nicely in a 5x7 frame, image is slightly larger than 5x7 inches).  Please do download and color your copy even if you don't wish to enter the contest.  Personal use only please!!

Winner gets this original artwork:

COLORING CONTEST RULES AND INFORMATION:
* Contest is open to everyone (including international participants).
* To enter you MUST post a photo of my above coloring page which you have colored in my Facebook group Bunny's Super Mega Happy Fun Group  and/or the  G+ event page HERE (use any medium you wish to color it!)   I will check both groups for entries before selecting the winner(s)
* Contest ends August 31, 2015 at midnight
* One winner will be chosen at random to receive the above prize (but you never know...I might end up offering more than one prize if the mood strikes)

Thank you so much for joining in! I cannot wait to see everyone's coloring work!! xoxo