I have a lot of unstructured time. My job as a private English teacher means I’m mostly teaching in the evenings and on Saturday. Today (Monday), for example, I don’t start teaching until 4pm. So I have a lot of time between getting up (8.30am) and starting work. I find Facebook sucks a lot of that time up: commenting, catching up with friends and playing Scrabble (and occasionally Song Pop).I have 652 Facebook friends and I’m in numerous groups, so there is always something to look at on my Newsfeed and before you know it hours have passed and nothing of consequence has been produced. One of the incentives for starting this blog was a need to structure my time more productively and also develop my writing skills and share some of the many photos I take. I have always had a tendency to procrastinate…and not make best use of my time…a trait exacerbated by Facebook and the Internet.
Some things I want to do:
Daily
1. Georgian: I have been in Georgia for 4 years and I can barely make a few sentences. I understand only the most basic instructions. I made a New Year’s Resolution at the beginning of 2013, that by the end of 2013 I would be able to toast in Georgian. I don’t think this will now be possible. I have learnt some words but the amount of time devoted to learning Georgian has been minimal.
2. Plank: I saw this on Facebook. An exercise called planking that develops the core. The idea is to build up from 20 seconds on the first day to 5 minutes or more on the 30th day.http://rawrebecca.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/944270_143491579174855_1235844063_n.jpg
I can’t do more than one minute. I do get some exercise walking to and from the metro station (15 minutes). I also swim once a week.
3. Drawing and Painting: I want to improve my drawing. In 2001, I would draw a picture or two each day, the discipline was good and my drawing improved. But I have let it slide. I would also like to try painting with acrylics. At weekends, I often play around with water colours with my grand daughter, which is great fun an activity I’d highly recommend for both adult and child.
4. Prepare Lessons: Doing this the day before would be great so I’m not rushing around at the last minute.
5. Blog. This blog, as I noted above, one of the reasons for starting this blog was to motivate myself to mke better use of my time. Also I hope blogging will improve my writing skills.
Weekly:
- Swim. We have started swimming at the Olympic Pool on a Wednesday Morning. Last year when I was teaching in the French school, they have their own pool and I was able to profit from this facility every Friday afternoon. I enjoy swimming and it is good whole body exercise.
- Phone Mum. Mum is living on her own in York since Dad died in 2011. I should phone her once a week. I will need to top up my phone. Our family is all geographically spread out, my brother is in Newquay and my sisters are in Slough and India, so I it is difficult for us to see Mum…I go to England just once a year.
- Read a book. Before I joined Facebook I was reading six books a month on average, this has dropped to just two. I’m currently reading “The Idiot” by Dostoevsky, a rare foray into classic literature, usually I read crime or thrillers.
- Scan Computer. I should integrate this as part of my routine.
Well that is a start. Let’s see how well keep it up. My life is full of this slightly American desire for self-improvement.
Another post about procrastination, seems I have competition 😉
http://pols80.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/procrastination/
The instant gratification monkey is apt to take over whenever I try to get down to doing stuff…
jim holroyd 365 
