Design Myself

Forever ago, I remember being the nerdy kid at school who was afraid to talk to boys.  Not too long ago, I remember carrying a CD player in my car with an adapter to play music someone burned on a CD for me from another CD.  Only 6 months ago did I get real furniture in my room.  Now, I'm about to begin a career after never having a full time job before.

My point is, the world is changing around us, and everything surrounding us is becoming more convenient, designed, and contemporary.  The future is here and (dare I say) it's looking fabulous.

There are many domains of life.  I tried categorizing all aspects.  For me, the blocks look like:

Live (home, diet, fitness, materials)
Love (social life, partners, beauty, fashion, sex)
Work (education, workplace, finances, motivation/inspiration)
Play (travel, shop, sleep/dream, colors that surround me)

I'm going to set up a calendar of maintenance items for myself.  I broke them down into time periods:

Yearly:
- See the doctor for a full checkup/ see the dentist twice
- Check batteries of flashlights & detectors in my house
- Review my wardrobe & donate old clothes I haven't worn this year
- For each pair of shoes I buy, I'm replacing old ones
- Refill the first aid kit in bag/car
- Evaluate my fitness routine and how it's working for my body
- Throw HUGE parties (dinner, dance, drinking, birthdays, holidays)
- Take a vacation, a different place every year
- Reevaluate my year (both pros and cons) and make goals for the next year

Seasonally:
- Vehicle maintenance (oil change, check tires, etc.)
- Spring & Fall cleaning is a must! Declutter closet, garage, storage areas (donate or recycle)
- Reevaluate, rearrange, or reorganize: furniture, storage areas, etc.
- See an independent film
- Read a biography/ watch a documentary
-Put photos into albums/folders (also good for reviewing)

Monthly/Weekly:
- Do laundry
- Go shopping with family (grocery shopping at farmer's market?)
- Try something new!
- Pamper myself: get a massage, a manicure/pedicure, sleep in
- Exfoliate skin/pores and apply mud masks
- Call family, friends, etc.
- Have a dinner party
- Take fitness classes (yoga, zumba, step, powerflex)
- Buy clothes for quality > quantity
- Go dancing :)

Daily:
- Incorporate a good stretching routine into workouts
- Maintain healthy, white teeth
- Make a to do list (never more than 10 items) and try to cross everything off
- Journal memorable moments (like blogging???  :D)
- Eat healthy and never forget to eat breakfast (unless you sleep in until noon)
- Tidy up living space for only 10 minutes... it'll help keep life organized
- Do something nice and smile more :)
- Return all calls and answer all emails (this one is gonna be a toughy)
- Listen to a really good song
- Cook a meal from scratch (I guess this goes with eating healthy... but I like to make desserts... that's a meal, right?)
- Exercise.
- Make time for reflection and renewal for myself to unwind and get ready for the next day (body scan relaxation, yoga, 3-minute meditation)
- Make love
- Learn a new word in Mandarin Chinese (this one will be easy this summer)
- Stay updated with news
- Live in the moment, enjoy the process

I realize that actually trying to keep up with all these things may be a chore in itself, but at least I have a template to go by.  Some things I've already been doing; others I need to work on; others I may need to start.  New chapter, new life.  Isn't it fun?