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A Total Time Suck

As I approach another birthday, I am well aware of my own mortality and what I want to accomplish in the time I have left on this planet. Sounds morbid, right? It’s actually not.

It’s reality, and I have a lot of shit to do.

I have trips that I want to take, books to read, writing goals to accomplish, and plenty of projects around the house to keep me busy. If that wasn’t enough, I also volunteered to raise money for both the swim team and the post-prom event later this year. And did I mention that I have a ton of work to do for my day job?

So, why is it that I am sitting on the couch, staring at my iPhone instead of checking anything off my to-do list? It’s all Facebook’s fault. I’m addicted to Reelz, and as I sit there and watch clip after clip, time is flying by.

I just looked at my watch, and it is almost 5 pm. The only things I accomplished today were making my bed, running the dishwasher, and doing a load of laundry. I also edited an article for someone.

Other than that, it has not been a productive day. Facebook is a time suck, and I’m the sucker that lets it into my world. Maybe if the weather was nicer I would have gone food shopping, gotten my nails done, and bought a Valentine’s Day card and present for my husband.

Instead, my phone battery is at 25%, and I have nothing to show for it. I fell into the black hole of clips from Grey’s Anatomy, America’s Got Talent, and random stand-up comedian sets.

Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday, and I’m not a big football fan. One would think that I should take all of that free time and use it wisely. But I do love the commercials, so I’m not hopeful that tomorrow will be any better. But, we will see.

At least, I got a blog post in today. 🙂

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The Good, The Bad, and The Writing

The Ultimate Blog Challenge is now over, and I succeeded and failed. The challenge is to do 31 blogs – one post per day for the entire month. I failed the challenge because I wrote 26 out of 31 blog posts. But, it’s okay. The days that I didn’t write were days that I had more important things to do.

One night, I finished work late and still had a blog post to write. But, my son passed his board of review for Eagle Scout, and people were going out to celebrate. How could I miss that?

I couldn’t. So, I didn’t.

I had many successes in last month’s blog challenge. Many more ups than downs. Here are some of the things I got out of it.

  • 26 Blog posts  – I am proud of that number. I wrote 24 more blog posts in December and 23 more than I wrote in November. My goal is always to complete the blog challenge, but if I don’t make it – at the very least, I have a new daily writing habit.
  • New Subscribers – Welcome to my new subscribers and those who found me on Facebook. I’ve been at this for a long time, but I don’t have much of a following. So, I greatly appreciate it when people sign up to receive an email from me in their inbox on a regular basis.
  • A supportive writing community – I participate in this challenge with about 40 other bloggers. I don’t know the exact number, but each is incredibly talented and passionate about their families, businesses, communities, and hobbies. I learned so much from everyone, and their support means the world to me.

The best thing about these writing challenges is that when they are over, I still love writing. I never tire of it; I’m inspired to keep going. Even though it can be lonely to sit in front of my laptop trying to come up with something to say, I feel amazing when an idea comes to mind. And when that idea turns into a post, I am excited to hit publish and put my voice out into the world. And when you like, comment, share, or text me to say how much you liked what I wrote, it’s an incredible feeling.

So, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more.

XO,

Elisa

A January Recap

January is almost over – wow, that was fast! Here is a recap of what’s happening in my world.

Family Updates

  • Jenna made the Dean’s List, turned 21 this month, and started her role as president of Towson Hillel.
  • Andrew became an Eagle Scout, is having a great swim season, and is close to deciding on college next year.
  • Chloe (our fur baby) is not loving the cold weather and can’t wait for spring. She isn’t the only one that feels this way.

COVID Stats

  • 1 COVID-19 exposure
  • 4 COVID-19 tests
  • Three negative tests and one positive
  • Five days of quarantine

Work Highlights

  • I had a wonderful conversation with my boss on Friday as part of my annual review. I am in the middle of one rebranding project that is going well and have lots of new goals to accomplish in 2022.

Reading Goals

  • Set my 2022 Goodreads goal for 35 books
  • Purchased five books
  • Read two

(Side note: Do podcasts count as reading? I’ve listened to a ton of them this month, so I think they should.)

Writing Goals

  • Wrote 26 published blog posts (so far) and four drafts that are not ready for publication.
  • 8,048 words (and counting).
  • Average blog post length – 322 words
  • New subscribers 3 (help a girl out here and please subscribe to my blog – #shamelessplug)

I’m also submitting one essay about friendships and middle age for publication in February. It’s my first time putting something out into the world beyond my blog/comfort zone. Wish me luck.

Oh, and I’m also writing a book. Did I mention that?

How was your January? What were some of the highlights? I’d love to hear what’s happening in your world. And, if you read this blog and like it, consider subscribing and/or sharing them on your own social media pages. Even a “like” goes a long way. Thanks!

XO,
Elisa

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