The Awkward and Awesome of my Happiness Project

it is the time of the month to review my Happiness Project. Let me remind ourselves of what I signed up for at the beginning of January.

Sidney at the Daybook has a weekly post on her Awkward and Awesome Thursdays. I thought that this would be a very good way to review January.

So let's start by some Awkward moments in January:

- Going to bed early (earlier than M) and not being able to fall asleep because I am thinking too much of how I should be asleep - like right now (M coming 2 hours later in bed, with me still very much awake).

- Having a HUGE row (slamming of doors and tears - French style row) about a coffee machine (yes a coffee machine) in our kitchen because it creates clutter (my argument being that we don't use it, M that we could one day).

- Organise the house for M not to notice

- Not being able to prioritise nagging tasks and get overwhelmed by it (same day as coffee machine disaster)

- Tackling my washing basket, only for tea towels to become blue from the jeans I washed with them - brilliant. Where is my Mum when I need her?

Awesome moments

- My bank statements are finally filed! and the house looks definitely less cluttered (except for the coffee machine). Has a very big impact on my mood.

- I started Pilates to help with my knee (minor injury due to running) and really enjoyed it!

- Going on long walks with M - exercise and quality time, total win win.

- Finally send documents claiming back some money - shopping here I come

- Worked out, at grand age of 33 that yes slicing a task into mini-tasks really helps.

- M saying that I have more energy - yeah!!

February is the month of LOVE!! And there may be an extreme nice week ... More to come at the end of the month! All I can tell you Valentine's Day will be OTT this year! There will be balloons, a themed menu, etc...

Apart from that, all is set for Friday's GIVEWAY - I actually know what it will be, and I am SO excited about it!! I hope you will be too!!

Happy to Happier

Apart from an obsession with geometrics, yarn, patchwork and crafts in general, I am also an avid reader of self-help books - and usually about finding my 'true self' - whatever that may be (still reading about it!). So when Emma over at Gawgus Things posted about 'The Happiness Project' by Gretchen Rubin, I knew I had to get the book. And so I did!

I need to add something straight away. I am a happy, positive person, I am - serious. OK I get grumpy at work and also I nag at home (when the house is not tidy or clean usually). So why am I so into self-help books? It is probably because I think there is more to be done, that time should be really spent purposefully (be it at work or at home). I feel that time should be spent for me and my loved ones rather than for others who do not really care about my well-being. And it is, just not enough...

So anyway the book in hand, I was off to Paris with the train journey ahead of me. The book is divided by month. So I was not sure how I was going to tackle it. Read a chapter every month, or read the whole thing (I may have different priorities than Gretchen's?). I knew though that I agreed with the January Chapter should be my first task because January is Vitality, and that should make other taxing tasks easier.

So 1.'Go to sleep earlier' - should be easy. I take my sleep really seriously (I am sure I mentioned this before) but I really want to make sure I spend time with M as well.

2. Exercise better - I may add eat better. The emotional eating has to stop as well! So I will start weight watchers again and start running regularly again. Yes I will... a whole year of it. bring-it-on.

3. Toss, restore, organise - yes, those bank statements have to find a place in the cupboard under the stairs - actually come to think about it the whole cupboard needs to be organised, as well as the garage... And we still have some bits and pieces in the house to finish (by the end of Chapter 1, I basically had a 'big item' to do list of 5 pages)..

4. Tackle a nagging task... Well the problem is prioritising only one.

5. Act more energetic - hmm, I like the theory...now did to make it happen...

So here we are the basis of my own Happiness project. I am sure loads of you have already read it or done it, would be great to hear about your experience! If you are planning to do it, let me know!