NightWatcher13 is "Pusheen" herself to balance life

[NightWatcher13]

I got a little buried under work last time (or two... or three) I tried to do a challenge, so time to give it another try.

 

 

It would be a lot to try to explain here, but long story short I went from functionally being the only person doing my job (it's a 2 person job and the other person wasn't interested in actually working) to literally being the only person in my job for a few months, which also meant I was pulling some crazy long weeks. This is thankfully no longer the case, and the person working with me now is doing a fantastic job so far and eager to help out, meaning I get to have a life outside of work again! (...now I just need to get my mind to understand that I don't have to work nonstop, because brains are complicated and annoying)

 

Unsurprisingly, my main goal remains the same:

RECLAIMING MY TIME

(honestly most of this challenge is basically going to be a repeat of my Grumpy Cat one, hence keeping with the silly cat theme. There's also a lot of overlap of the quests because of their relation to time) 

 

Quest 1 : Sleep (4 points/wk)

Kinda hard to claim time when I'm tired and want to sleep most of my not-work time. I went to a doctor last year right before things went crazy and he gave me some things to try to do to improve my sleep that I want to start doing this challenge:

 

• Going to bed near the same time every night (I'm going to be aiming for between 11:30 and midnight)
• Getting up at the same time every morning, when my alarm goes off - this one is DEFINITELY going to be a struggle, I tend to snooze and I absolutely hate getting up in the morning
• Exercising 4-5 hours before bed, this is the window the yoga class I want to go to falls into, and I can try to add swimming or walking on days without yoga too with my Y membership that I really need to use
• one point per day I'm up before 7:30am, I'm not expecting myself to be able to roll that back all days hence not doing 7 points on this one

 

Quest 2 : Food prep (6 points/wk)

I've had issues with eating a lot of fast food because I haven't always prepped food ahead that I can eat/want to eat when I've gotten busy, so I need to prep food ahead for both work and outside work so I don't wind up eating more Burger King due to lack of preparation.

 

• Get meals made ahead - lots of Instant Pot recipes left to try
• Make sure lunch and breakfast are packed ahead the night before a work shift (when I actually prep ahead, I throw a frozen breakfast sammich in my lunch bag and leave it in the fridge so I can just run in the morning)
• Reduce eating out to 1-2x / week, preferably an intentional meal rather than just hitting a drivethru because I didn't have anything better available.
• 1 point for packing ahead (4 work days/week, 'cause 10 hr shifts)
• 1 point for batch cooking ahead
• 1 point for staying under 2x eating out/wk

 

Quest 3 : Schedule outside of work (especially exercise, 4 points/wk)

(not Pusheen, but adorable and my cats would never let me do it)

So... I'm still enrolled in that yoga class that I have NOT been able to go to for months, some of which was because of it being cancelled for a month because of lack of enrollment (I just had them roll mine forward a month each time that happened) and some of which was the fact that I was still at work when the class was happening. I do also want to get exercise in on other days as well per sleep doc's recomendation, not to mention it helps my ADHD as well and I would definitely get a lot of physical benefits as well. I do also want to get some other things I've neglected back on my radar as well, like crafting and gaming.

 

• Attend yoga classes (M,W)
• work on setting up schedule for exercise besides yoga (T,H,F) - likely swimming at the Y or doing a Zombies, Run! session as a walk
• set aside time weekly for at least one of the following: solo gaming, painting minis, knitting, playing music
• 1 point for making a yoga class
• 1 point for making a non-yoga workout
• 1 point for planning for and following through on one of the above activities

 

Life quest : Japanese (2 points)

Like most other things on my challenge, this got shoved to the back burner (and then promptly dumped off the stove entirely) due to lack of time and energy.

 

• Use Duo min 5x/wk
• Study 1 lesson/wk from my text books (I think I was on the second one when stuff went crazy? I'll be starting back at one though)
• 1 point for Duo
• 1 point for studying from the text books

 

So, hey NF community, I've missed you folks.

 

LETS DO DIS!

[NightWatcher13]

 

Here's the tracking spread I set up for this challenge as well

[Elastigirl]

Hi there!  Welcome back

[Harriet]

I hope you get some sweet, sweet sleep and energy. Also, I love Pusheen. So chonky and adorable. 

[Jupiter]

4 hours ago, NightWatcher13 said:

It would be a lot to try to explain here, but long story short I went from functionally being the only person doing my job (it's a 2 person job and the other person wasn't interested in actually working) to literally being the only person in my job for a few months, which also meant I was pulling some crazy long weeks. This is thankfully no longer the case, and the person working with me now is doing a fantastic job so far and eager to help out, meaning I get to have a life outside of work again! (...now I just need to get my mind to understand that I don't have to work nonstop, because brains are complicated and annoying)

 

I definitely understand a hectic work schedule. Glad it's getting better. Following along.  

[fleaball]

My cats would also never let me curl them like that. I’m always jealous of people who have chill cats like that. 

[Rookie]

 

Pusheen is my favourite  so cute. 

 

I have tried to learn Japanese 2 times in my life. Never really got to speaking sentences but last time I got through all the hiragana and was learning kanji. I used WaniKani and found it pretty helpful. How do you like Duo for it? 

[Waanie]

Great challenge, following .

 

I'm glad that your work is getting better again .

[NightWatcher13]

12 hours ago, Rookie said:

 

Pusheen is my favourite  so cute. 

 

I have tried to learn Japanese 2 times in my life. Never really got to speaking sentences but last time I got through all the hiragana and was learning kanji. I used WaniKani and found it pretty helpful. How do you like Duo for it? 

I like Duo, it seems to do a pretty good job with the basics. It doesn't go as in depth as a lot of other stuff, but especially for something to practice with it's really good.

 

On 2/12/2020 at 9:09 PM, Harriet said:

I hope you get some sweet, sweet sleep and energy. Also, I love Pusheen. So chonky and adorable. 

Yes! Especially as someone who has an adorable chonky cat (I'm trying to get some of his weight off... it's hard even with an automatic feeder) I love Pusheen

At least for last night, I got some good sleep. Though that might have been the Robitussin... yay congestion! 

 

On 2/12/2020 at 6:00 PM, Elastigirl said:

Hi there!  Welcome back

*waves* Hey EG! Good to be back

 

On 2/12/2020 at 9:32 PM, fleaball said:

My cats would also never let me curl them like that. I’m always jealous of people who have chill cats like that. 

Right? I always watch them with my jaw in my lap

 

On 2/12/2020 at 9:22 PM, Jupiter said:

 

I definitely understand a hectic work schedule. Glad it's getting better. Following along.  

Yay hectic schedule buddies! 

 

Me - I need to cut back my hours.

Also me - *glances up at clock* Oh... it's been 12 hours. I should go home now.

[Chesire]

Hi there, following.

 

 

On 2/12/2020 at 4:31 PM, NightWatcher13 said:

 

 

AAAAahhhhhh!  This is probably my fate.  I was attacked by a friend's rabbit when I was about 13yo.   If I went over the house they had to put it in its cage, because it would seek me out to bite.  It had sharp, pointy teeth.  Vicious beast.  Do not like those soft fuzzies.

[Hazard]

On 2/12/2020 at 4:31 PM, NightWatcher13 said:

Life quest : Japanese

Use Duo

 

Oops.  I was doing Spanish and Japanese on Duo every day for a while.  I don't even remember stopping, but apparently, I stopped.

 

Anywho.   Following!

 

[Rookie]

5 hours ago, Chesire said:

AAAAahhhhhh!  This is probably my fate.  I was attacked by a friend's rabbit when I was about 13yo.   If I went over the house they had to put it in its cage, because it would seek me out to bite.  It had sharp, pointy teeth.  Vicious beast.  Do not like those soft fuzzies.

I know this is probably a very traumatic thing that happened to you.... but this made me laugh

[Chesire]

21 hours ago, Rookie said:

I know this is probably a very traumatic thing that happened to you.... but this made me laugh

Feel free to laugh a lot.  I gladly share the story for the laughs all around because it is purely ridiculous.

 

I am still kind of uncomfortable with rabbits, but I will touch them now.  And everyone teases me about it, in good humor.  This rabbit infested island is a favorite source of poking me.  

[NightWatcher13]

On 2/14/2020 at 8:44 AM, Chesire said:

Hi there, following.

 

 

 

 

AAAAahhhhhh!  This is probably my fate.  I was attacked by a friend's rabbit when I was about 13yo.   If I went over the house they had to put it in its cage, because it would seek me out to bite.  It had sharp, pointy teeth.  Vicious beast.  Do not like those soft fuzzies.

 

lol I'm glad you can laugh at it now though. Btw if you've never seen Buffy - there's a character in later seasons who is an ancient badass demon (or was... it's complicated) and she is TERRIFIED of bunnies

[NightWatcher13]

On 2/14/2020 at 10:53 AM, Hazard said:

 

Oops.  I was doing Spanish and Japanese on Duo every day for a while.  I don't even remember stopping, but apparently, I stopped.

 

Anywho.   Following!

 

*waves* Hey Hazard!

 

I wound up dropping my Duo for a while because of general life stuff going haywire.

 

On 2/13/2020 at 3:01 PM, Waanie said:

Great challenge, following .

 

I'm glad that your work is getting better again .

Thanks, me too!

[NightWatcher13]

Week 0 recap (no points, just a sort of ground level for the rest of the challenge)

 

Quest 1 (Sleep) : terrible

• I didn't have any days this week that I was up early, though I did have a couple that I passed out early the night before... probably due to the cough meds I took those nights before bed. I did have trouble getting to bed by bedtime a few nights as well.

Quest 2 (Food) : great

• I packed ahead for 3 of my shifts
• I cooked ahead chicken noodle soup and noodles & beef this week
• I only ate out twice

Quest 3 (Schedule) : terrible

• I didn't make either of my yoga classes... I was still at work for the first one, and wasn't watching time right and wound up not being able to make the second one due to cooking
• no non-yoga workouts
• no planned activities on the list

Life Quest (Japanese) : meh?

• did Duo 3 times this week
• no study session with the text books

Also, belated Valentines Day / Singles Awareness Day, folks!

 

[NightWatcher13]

Not related to this challenge at all, but now that things are calming down I've started pricing out a trip I've wanted to take for a W H I L E now... an Amtrak trip to Chicago to visit things like the Field Museum, 'cause Sue the T-Rex and Maximo the Titanosaur speak to my inner 5 year old. I'll need to figure out exactly when, and I may try to get some biking in (probably next challenge unless the weather gets way warmer) before the trip so I'm not as out of practice at it as I am right now, since I can take my bike on Amtrak with me, which would save me feeling like I need to rent a car or take taxis/ubers. I'm trying to make sure it's an affordable trip, so I'm looking at hostels instead of hotels, but I'm excited that I can start even thinking about what I want to do outside of what I have to do - plus it'll be the first vacation I've taken for me in quite a few years

[Jupiter]

That sounds like it'll be a fun trip! 

[Tateman]

47 minutes ago, NightWatcher13 said:

Not related to this challenge at all, but now that things are calming down I've started pricing out a trip I've wanted to take for a W H I L E now... an Amtrak trip to Chicago to visit things like the Field Museum, 'cause Sue the T-Rex and Maximo the Titanosaur speak to my inner 5 year old. I'll need to figure out exactly when, and I may try to get some biking in (probably next challenge unless the weather gets way warmer) before the trip so I'm not as out of practice at it as I am right now, since I can take my bike on Amtrak with me, which would save me feeling like I need to rent a car or take taxis/ubers. I'm trying to make sure it's an affordable trip, so I'm looking at hostels instead of hotels, but I'm excited that I can start even thinking about what I want to do outside of what I have to do - plus it'll be the first vacation I've taken for me in quite a few years

I just recently started watching some youtube videos of people taking those longer distance Amtrak trains. Chicago to Seattle was the last one I saw I believe. The farthest I went by train was Santa Barbara, California down to San Diego, California. Took 5 to 6 hours. My Aunt use to take one from out in Missouri out to California to visit us. It kinda makes me want to have a little trip on one. Sounds like it will be a fun trip for you. 

[NightWatcher13]

56 minutes ago, Jupiter said:

That sounds like it'll be a fun trip! 

 

9 minutes ago, Tateman said:

I just recently started watching some youtube videos of people taking those longer distance Amtrak trains. Chicago to Seattle was the last one I saw I believe. The farthest I went by train was Santa Barbara, California down to San Diego, California. Took 5 to 6 hours. My Aunt use to take one from out in Missouri out to California to visit us. It kinda makes me want to have a little trip on one. Sounds like it will be a fun trip for you. 

I hope it is for sure  I've been wanting to plan this trip for a couple of years now (I think since I first read Dead Beat in the Dresden Files series 'cause I'm that type of nerd). I've never taken a train trip before and it's something I've always wanted to do though. It's not too long of a trip, about 4.5 hours from the nearest station (Toledo) to Chicago if I can get a trip that doesn't have a bus connection. It's pretty nice that your aunt was able to use a train to come visit your family Tateman

[NightWatcher13]

On 2/12/2020 at 4:31 PM, NightWatcher13 said:

Quest 3 : Schedule outside of work (especially exercise, 4 points/wk)

• set aside time weekly for at least one of the following: solo gaming, painting minis, knitting, playing music
• 1 point for planning for and following through on one of the above activities

For this coming week, I have a nice window tomorrow between work (I'm only going in for the morning so I can help with the computer side of things) and a chiropractor appointment (at 5pm, but 45 minutes away because it's the same chiropractor I had before I moved... I kinda moved to the middle of nowhere so finding a more local one isn't really feasible). So from around 1pm to 4pm, I have scheduled in "paint a mini"

[NightWatcher13]

On 2/16/2020 at 3:58 PM, NightWatcher13 said:

For this coming week, I have a nice window tomorrow between work (I'm only going in for the morning so I can help with the computer side of things) and a chiropractor appointment (at 5pm, but 45 minutes away because it's the same chiropractor I had before I moved... I kinda moved to the middle of nowhere so finding a more local one isn't really feasible). So from around 1pm to 4pm, I have scheduled in "paint a mini"

I painted my mini! (Is not remotely done, but I did a lot of work on him at least)

Also managed to make my yoga class tonight  

 

Duo got duone. I did have both of my eat-out meals for the week today, one for breakfast that wasn't well thought out (BK... meh) and one that was actually intentional (Panera after doc appointment, 'cause it's 45 minutes away and way better than the options around here) Forgive the bites out of it. So now the only thing left to do is pack for tomorrow so I have food at work

 

[Jupiter]

Cute mini! (Also what is it?) And nice job getting the yoga done.  

[NightWatcher13]

3 minutes ago, Jupiter said:

Cute mini! (Also what is it?) And nice job getting the yoga done.  

Thanks! And the yoga felt really good...though I'm a bit stiff and crackly now lol. It's some sort of beholder kin... basically Wizards has the copyright on actual beholders, so Reaper makes monsters that look similar but aren't quite beholders (picture of classic beholder for reference)

[chickie.monkey]

I tried doing sumo squats using one of my chunky cats as a substitute kettlebell. It did not end well for me.

 

We got this respawn thing in the bag. Here's to a life outside of work!