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Since last year, many things have happened in my life, and not all of them were pleasant. Last spring, I discovered NF, did a challenge amongst the Assassins -- and in the summer, I sort of ... disappeared. Not only from NF, but from many parts and aspects of my life I used to love and which stealthily fell behind, disappearing in the shadows. Friends, creativity, joy of life. Somehow, I didn't put up much of a fight and now I see that this was a mistake. No matter what life presents you with, there is always more to it than "just functioning." This year, I turned 49, and yes, it did make me think about the "second half of life." Second half? Who says I'm going to make it to 100 years? See, I feel that I need to change something, before it is too late. I am a mother of two, married, fighting a workaholic's fight on too many fronts at the same time, neclecting myself and those who are closest to me. This has to be changed. Better now than never. One positive thing since last year: I lost loads of weight, and I kept it off by following a very low carb lifestyle which I enjoy - much to the surprise of many. So these are my goals, listed but not ranked: #1: reconnect with friends. Due to the fact that I lived in different countries, this means digging up addresses, asking others for emails and so on. In order to reconnect, write at least two letters/ emails per week to different persons I would like to reconnect with. #2: do Yoga every day. I am not much of a gym person, and I love the fact that Yoga can easily be practised at home. Since my Yoga is sort of self-taught with a book, I signed up with NF yoga, and I would like to do two weeks Water Series A, two weeks Water Series B, and maybe - if things run really well - two weeks Fire Series A, depending on how I feel with it. #3: on "short" Yoga days, do my regular Pilates routine in addition, since it helped me a lot with some pains and ailments that come with excessive desk work. #4: before bedtime, storytelling time with my kids. They don't have much time with me, but they love it when I am not too pooped at the end of the day to read to them or to just talk about THEIR day. #5: finish one crafting project per week (I have a lot of started but unfinished stuff here…) #6: get rid of stuff that just sits around and clutters my space. I believe that "mess outside" is a symbol of "mess inside", and I need more clarity and peace of mind. Instead of junkyard, think Zen garden… I will use a method a fellow nerd inspired me to (I already have a big box in the hallway for stuff to go). Life Quest: reduce work hours, get healthy and come to a point where I can say again that I am happy with my life. Sounds like a pretty easy plan, but I would be happy if I can do it. I leave the house around 7.30am and I return earliest by 6pm. Every day. There is not much time left for anything else but work. Breaks at work I will use to follow threads, and to post. Any input is greatly appreciated! And here my grading system, days counted include weekends: #1 Writing 12 letters during challenge = A, 9 letters = B, 6 letters = C, 3 letters = D 2 or less = fail. #2 Yoga every day = A, miss one day per week = B, miss two days per week = C, miss three days per week = D, miss more than three days per week = fail #3 Pilates three times per week = A, 2 times = B, one time = C, none = fail #4 Storytelling: every day = A, miss one = B, miss two = C, miss three = D, miss more than three = fail #5 6 crating projects selected: all six done = A, five done = B, four done = C, three done = D, less than three = fail (calculated over the duration of the whole challenge) #6 Decluttering: tackling every day at least one corner, drawer or compartment in my office shelf, no matter how small. Every day get one part done = A, miss one day = B, miss tow days = C, miss three days = D, less than three days or none = fail This goes by week, and in the end I'll somehow come up with a total grade how the challenge went as a whole setup.