Project 365: Fight Over-productivity and Slow Down!

Project 365: Rush all the Time

I’ve written about this before, but one of the things I really need to focus on is slowing down. I rush everywhere and everything – if it’s not a pressured situation, I don’t really know what to do with myself half the time. It’s like I’m an adrenaline junkie without all the cool extreme sports. When things are under a tight deadline, I’m all focus, energy, and direction. I drink a tonne of coffee and  I get it done.

However, if I’ve been doing it for awhile, things start to slip through the cracks. I start forgetting things because it’s too much and running really late for stuff because I’ve over-scheduled myself. When this happens, my natural instinct is to try and kick it into higher gear and perform even more efficiently. Naturally, things really start to fall apart.

Project 365: Slow Down

Now, my goal is to slow down. Build down time into my every day life and find things to do that aren’t rush, rush, rush. A few years ago, I read about a neat idea called Project 365* in a book somewhere and it has stayed with me all this time. So, in an effort to appreciate the little things, I have decided to start my own photo-journal to document everyday things that I thought were memorable – because it was funny, unusual, interesting , amazing, beautiful, whatever.

The act of having to take a picture every day helps me be more observant and take note of my surroundings. It encourages me to take pleasure in every day details that I might otherwise be “too busy and important” to notice or care about.

Project 365: The pictures

Finnigan is my miniature daschund and she provides hours of entertainment for the entire family. Finney and mornings is divided into two sections: the 6:00 am and I urgently need to go outside right this instant; and the I have gone back to bed and refuse to move before 10:00 am. As you can see, this is the protest against 8:30 am in the morning.

 

Disclaimer: I was not actually moving at the time I took this photo, I was at a deserted four way stop in the middle of suburbia.

I love driving, I love the idea of getting into my car and having the potential to go anywhere.

 

 

Spring has finally decided to join us! Considering it was snowing a couple weeks ago, most everyone I know was crazy excited when we didn’t have to bust out the winter woolies for some part of the day because of some freak crappy snow fall or ice/hail storm.

Viva la shorts!

 

My kid has the best sense of humour. She drew this over Christmas and decided to put it up on her wall to preserve the coolness. I fully support carnivorous plants and wanted to spread the cause – I’m not sure this misunderstood vegetation has the best PR coverage.

 

 

 

 

Coffee. Because it’s awesome. The end.

 

 

 

This is a picture from one of my favourite parks. You can walk through it and see all kinds of stuff going on from people hoola-hooping, throwing a football, to having a campfire at night.  In the winter the pond freezes over and they rent skates for people to use on the pond. There’s always hot chocolate being sold and bonfires on the ice that people can warm themselves by when it’s so cold.

 

Reading is probably one of the biggest joys in my life. I now buy e-books and download them to my Ipad because I can carry them everywhere. While I miss owning something I can hold and feel, I can carry so many more books with me all the time.  I love it!

 

*Project 365 is an initiative that asks people to take a photo for every day of the year. People use it for all different kinds of reasons, but one option is to use it as a photo essay chronicling what’s happening in your life over the year. It encourages you to be observant, creative, and in tune with your moods. One of the most important ways we encode and retrieve memories is through our visual system – start carrying a camera and start journaling your life, you might be surprised at how much richer it is. Read more here.