I had planned to write my next review on the last Tuesday of the month, but I guess the first Tuesday of the month is just as good! The last Tuesday of February was the day before we flew out to Malaga airport for a stay in Fuengirola. It was a trip we were lucky to make – we both got the flight time wrong and only realised less than a week before the trip!

It was a fantastic holiday, full of walks, talks, amazing food and some goal-setting. That’s the stuff dreams are made of! Oh, and there was a cat. Perfection 🙂

Physical: Get my waist measurement to be under half my height.

Action: I lost a kilo in Spain, which is handy, but my routine post-holiday is not great.

Mental: I will do intermittent fasting for a month.

Action: I have been doing it (win!) but not regularly enough or solidly enough. Better luck next time?

Spiritual: I will add some writing time to my morning routine.

Action: I’m writing more! It’s helping me feel good and it’s easier sine I bought an adorable little notebook in Fuengirola that is small enough for my handbag, but big enough for words to flow.

Honestly, why can’t I just hibernate? Not to be warm or miss winter – I love winter! – but I do wish that I could hide from the world at times. To not hear a voice, to not have to talk. I wish could take a long holiday form people-ing.

Okay, I wish I could be a cat. Sleep, eat, ignore people. That’s the dream.

But I can’t cat instead of people, so just as well that my peopleing is with good people and for a good purpose. Exhausting though it may be. My team at work are completely awesome and I love them to bits. My job is a beautiful challenge every day and I smile every day when I first walk down the corridor in the morning. But I do think I’d be able to do my job better with a break. It’s been very demanding lately, and on top of the exhaustion I feel I may veer towards compassion fatigue – not just about work, but about life.

Good thing we’re booked in for a few days in the Lake District soon. Can’t wait! Lake side hotel, breakfast included. Cold air and views of autumn leaves (I think). Other than lakes, I’m not sure what the region is famous for. There’s Beatrix Potter’s Cottage, and I want to go to Derwentwater because I used to have Derwent pencils 🙂 I never knew house to use them properly. No YouTube back then! But now that tutorials are available for anything and everything, maybe I’ll get another set.

Brain: I will complete Tale of Two Cities in September by the end of the year.
Action: Still not prioritising this enough.

Body: I will get my waist measurement down to less than half my height.
Action: Haven’t measured anything lately.

Soul: I will make a plan for Camp NaNoWriMo in July November.
Action: This is slowly ticking along. The plan is getting more solid. But I need much finer details if I’m meant to have enough guidance to write 1667 words every day for 30 days. I’m not there yet.

I’ve finally begun to use a tool that has always seemed like a good idea, but never quite clicked.

Mind maps.

It started as a way of prepping for Camp NaNoWriMo in July, but I began making maps at work as well. It’s  really ideal for the way I think, spinning off in different directions. And it’s even better when you colour-code it all. Awesome.

If only I had a giant smart board in my room… that would be cool.

The other thing I don’t have at the moment is focus. Which is common. But it’s so strange. As a kid, I could zone out for hours on end and just concentrate on one thing I was enjoying. I’m not sure whether I’m not capable of doing that, or whether I’m not allowing myself to do that. It doesn’t seem to fit into my lifestyle. I want it to. It’s refreshing. It’s like resetting my brain.

Instead, I seem to get a theme for a week or two, and then it moves to the side. I did Slimming World for two weeks, then ate cake and got focused on Camp Nano. Once Camp starts, I’ll probably get into my other blog, or cooking, or making my own makeup or something else as left-field. That’s what happens, and I’m unsure how I feel about it.

Brain: I will complete Tale of Two Cities by September.
Action: I’m getting through a chapter each night, thereabouts.

Body: I will get my waist measurement down to less than half my height.
Action: Totally enjoyed myself way too much this week, there were a lot of work celebrations. With cake.

Soul: I will make a plan for Camp NaNoWriMo in July.
Action: Mind maps are super fun! And with them, my plans are slowing coming together.