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Stuff I own that I found worth the money

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I was recently reflecting on some things that I own that I’ve come to realize I really enjoy and found they were worth the money to purchase. So here’s a list of things of them.

  • Clothing
    • Wool socks
      I’ve discovered that if my feet are cold, I’m cold. If my feet are cold when I’m trying to sleep, I will shiver like crazy instead of being able to fall asleep.
    • My REI jacket
      A while ago I was at an REI and I found a nice waterproof windbreaker jacket. It’s nice by itself when the weather has been rainy and dreary, which has been a lot lately here. It also works great for layering a warmer jacket under it.
  • Electronics
    • Headphones
      Nothing like good headphones whether it is using them at work or at the gym. There are the Taotronics Bluetooth earbuds I got that nicely snap together via magnets so that they can’t fall off. Next there’s the cheap Sennheiser HD 206 headphones that I got for work because well they are cheap and it won’t be so terrible if someone walked off with them. Of course, eventually, work noise became too much and I had to research and invest in noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones. Getting those has helped me so much in focusing on my work and drowning out outside noise, from people talking too loud, to the leaf blowers going outside, to that damn bird that starts up a full hour before sunrise.
    • Bluetooth USB adapter
      To go with the Bluetooth noise-canceling headphones, I got an adapter for home and one for work. This too quickly became a “How did I live without this?” item. I no longer needed to navigate what I was listening to via my phone, I could finally navigate via my PC as I used to do with my corded headphones.
    • Google Hub
      I managed to snag one of these on a great deal. I wanted something to tell me about the weather, commute, and news as I walking around getting ready for work. I thought that it might fit the bill, and it did. Not only that, but one of our cats has taken to watching cat videos on it as well. Plus when I’m not using it, the hub doubles as a nice clock so I don’t lose track of time.
  • Food & Drink
    • Forlife tea infuser & dish
      While this tea infuser is great for brewing loose tea, the dish also doubles as a place to put your tea bags after brewing.
    • Monbento square box
      I started with the MB Original, but soon moved to the MB Square. It has been a staple for what I use to pack my lunch. Even my husband has been using one to pack his food for work.
    • Ebags lunch bag (Crew Cooler II)
      I’m actually on my second Ebags lunch bag at this point because of how much I used the first one I had. It fits the Monbento box, breakfast, snacks, drinks, ice pack, etc. It’s my all in one food bag that I bring into work with my food for the day.
    • Sistema cutlery set
      I got this portable plastic cutlery set from the Organizer Store and it has lasted for quite a while. It’s great using it for eating my meals.
    • Hydro Flask
      I got myself the 40 oz Hydro Flask to use at work and later got an additional one for home. I don’t know what it is, but this particular tumbler has worked great for making sure I drink enough water during the day. I’ve had other drink containers, but this one has consistently worked for me.
  • Everything else
    • Spotify premium
      Spotify premium has been a godsend on my commutes to and from work. The offline ability to listen to various playlists that I’ve saved to my phone help with dealing with the drive and traffic.
    • Lihit lab
      Oh Lihit Lab, how I love your products. From your Teffa Pen Case, to your stand pen cases (and PuniLabo), the Smart fit carrying pouch, and your A5 Smart Fit Cover Notebook, this brand just delivers.
    • Eye mask
      It took me a while to find an eye mask that I thought I could comfortably wear at night, and it has made such a difference. I have noticed my quality of sleep is much better while wearing it.
    • Deflecto organizers
      I discovered these when watching a YouTube organizing video. I picked some up and yeah they work great. My pens, markers, and highlighters are organized and out in the open for easy use and access.
    • Inverted umbrella
      I got one of these on sale, and yeah it works. It’s a nice large umbrella and it’s easy to open when stepping through a doorway or opening my car door. Sure it takes a lot of space, but it works.
    • Portable heater
      My boss recommended a small 250w portable heater. I find it useful the few times at work when my feet are freezing. Even though I work in a cubicle, having it under my desk pointed towards my feet does help.

March Bullet Journal Page

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Just a quick blog post to share my March page.

Bullet Journal for March

The previous two months I separated my weeks after Sunday. Mostly because for planning I think in terms of my work week. My work week begins on Monday and runs through Friday. Then I have the weekend for whatever. This time I did the standard (US) calendar week. I messed up writing the year a little bit. I didn’t quite pick up my pen when I was writing. But hey no need to be perfect for something just for me.

I barely had room for important days on the bottom. However, I wanted to make sure I had enough room for my washi tape at the top of the page. If you like this washi tape, I got it from
SusieBsupplies on Etsy.

Bullet Journal Progress

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So for a while I’ve been wanting to post my progress with my bullet journal.

Things that have not worked for me:

  • Weekly layout – I knew from the start that this layout would not work for me. I didn’t even attempt to create one at any point. My Monday – Friday schedule is consistent and I don’t have enough going on each week to have to record it. Maybe that sounds like a boring life to some, but eh. I work the same hours Monday through Friday and between getting ready for work until I get home, I use 12 hours out of my day. That doesn’t give me much time to schedule things to do with the rest of my day. To be honest, by the time I get home I’m exhausted. It’s a combination of both how really early I get up, and the fact that my job requires extreme attention to detail.
  • Habit tracking – This didn’t work at all. I’ve switched to using an app to track things like this instead. Mostly I needed to be reminded to track my habits. Having to remember to open my bullet journal every day, then open to my habit tracking page to remind me just didn’t work. (I use Loop – Habit Tracker for those wondering. Android OS.)
  • Mood tracking – Yeah this died out quickly. For one, moods can change during the day. Two for the same reason the habit tracker didn’t work. (I use Daylio.)
  • Printing out monthly layouts and taping or gluing them onto a page of the journal – Over time I noticed the pages of the journal started to bulge. That doesn’t bode well for just starting out a journal. Over time the binding would weaken from the extra weight of it all.

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Goals for 2018?

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Early evening outdoors with a lit latern, a drink, an open book and a pair of eyeglasses.

So I’ve already been reflecting for a while on what I would like to do for next year. The answer that keeps coming back is more self-care and more downtime.

I get up really early for work. Then I do my work which is really attention detailed. So when I get home I’m exhausted. Lately I have needed to make myself just rest in bed after I get home. Sometimes I take a nap. Sometimes I just relax lying there and listen to some soothing music. I’ve noticed when I don’t take this time, I just end up feeling worse and worse.

So I’ve been looking into apps like meditation, logging moods, and logging anything I’m grateful for. I’m also looking into some soothing music that I can listen to.

And yeah I have to admit to myself I may have to force myself to take care of myself. It’s not something that’s really innate for me. Growing up I got the wrong message that taking care of myself was being selfish and lazy. I had to spend my time working, helping out around the house, and having to take care of requests from others. Thus I lack the skills to self-sooth and self-tend. Even when I’m sick I feel bad that I’m resting and not being productive, even though I know my body needs rest so I can have the energy to be productive again. That attitude is not surprising to me. My mother’s philosophy when I was sick was that if I wasn’t vomiting or running a fever then I had to go to school or work no matter how miserable I felt. Taking time off is bad. Resting is bad. You’re not that ill. And so on.

I think I run on the hamster wheel of life a bit too much with being always on, always doing something. I need to help reteach myself that taking time to meditate, more downtime to read or listen to music, is also productive. It’s just productive in a different way. It’s okay and even good to take care of myself and it isn’t being selfish nor lazy.

So that’s my big goal to work on for the year. Relax, unwind, take care of me in healthy ways. It won’t be easy but it’s something I need and want to incorporate into my life. I need to be able to slow myself down and enjoy quiet moments. Also, I need to make sure I do take the time to do things like daily dental care, skin care, and so on. (Yes my current lack of self-care is both spiritual and physical.)

And sure there are other things I would like to do. I started crocheting a while back and stopped. I would like to try that again. I also want to get more into programming. And we’ll see if I can focus on those things, but it has to work itself into the overarching theme of not overdoing and overworking myself anymore. It’s time to focus on me, fulfilling my needs, and bringing more care and joy into my life.

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