Another week done, another week towards full time self employment. This weekend, both stores hit my minimum-for-long-term-survival benchmark so I am pleased. I also secured a semi-regular store for True Sharp so I’m making headway towards my Month of Ryan goal of getting a new store. 1-2 more stores and I think I’ll be set. : D
Last night was Amanda’s “Mustachio Basheo II” party and I had tons o’ fun. It was my first time playing Flip Cup and I think it may be my favorite drinking game. I like the competitive aspect of it but I also like it’s inclusive nature. Games where you enthusiastically cheer on teammates are fun!
I’ve been having fun, saving money, and generally going in the direction that I think I need to go. I still have a lot of work to do but I’m alright with that. As Ann said, perhaps the Month of Ryan needs to spill over till June (or July!)
It is half way through the month of Ryan – it is also “tax day” – and I’m feeling pretty confident with where I am in achieving my goals. I think I’m on track to having a decent cushion in my bank account come April 30th, I’m close to getting a new knife sharpening store, I’ve been doing reasonably well with my excercises, and I’m taking a little more R&R time for myself. I’m still a ways away from being where I want to be but I have 15 more days until I’m on my own and I think I can make it!
Nothing too terribly exciting to post in this entry. Just wanted to keep everybody up to date on how things are going with me.
Oh! I went to Jujitsu with Busby & Friends on Tuesday and I really enjoyed myself. I’m going to go again tomorrow and I’m thinking about paying for a month’s worth of classes and then deciding if it’s right for me. Wish me luck!
Today was my first day off of the month and it felt pretty darn great! True, I did have to sharpen some guy’s knives BUT he came to my house and with setup+sharpening time it was only about 15min so I don’t count it as a work day. I cleaned out my room a bit, did a bunch of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, did about 3 loads of dishes, watered the plants (that needed watering), organized my desk, and nearly finished my taxes. All in all I’d say that it was a very productive and relaxing day.
I have been making good strides towards my monthly goals. I’ve kept to my workout routine and am thinking about expanding upon it in the upcoming weeks. I’ve been preparing more homemade meals, I have managed to save some money in the bank, and I think I might have a new knife sharpening store. I even emailed my landlord and got her to take off $50 from our rent permanently (with more reductions hopefully in the near future). I’ve cleaned up some of my areas, organized others, and I’ve sold things that I no longer need. Next week is going to be pretty hectic with work & Coachella(!) but the week after THAT I should be able to manage a day or two of relaxation. At this point, until I have 1-2 new knife sharpening stores secured I should work as much as I can.
My priorities right now are to finish my taxes (I just need to find my 2007 tax forms so that I can e-file 2008′s) and get a new knife sharpening store for both me and Nelson. After that I can focus on my other projects and various forms of self-improvement.
I’m pleased with how the Month of Ryan has been going so far and hope that I can keep it up. Next month will be another transitioning month for me so I’ll probably write up another list of goals. Exciting (and stressful) times we live in, folks!
These days it seems like I work all the time just to stay afloat. I am busy every day of the week with work and chores and still come up short. For example, I haven’t had a day off in roughly a week and a half (with my next day off in another 6 days), I spent the last two days clearing out clutter and doing errands yet my house and work space still feels cluttered and I am still burdened with an ever-growing to do list. This is why I’ve decided that April with be The Month of Ryan. My goals for this month are financial security, personal well being, and minimizing stress. This will be my last month with the City of San Diego so I want to hit the ground running when May comes around.
Financial Security
Since this will be my last month with a steady pay check my goal is to 1) make more money with True Sharp and 2) save money by eating out less. I need to get one new knife sharpening store this month (+another next month) and make my drill bit/mail in sharpening section of the True Sharp website operational. Next, I plan on saving $50-$75 a month by preparing more meals from scratch. Chicken & rice will be my friends.
Health & Personal Well Being
I have made a workout routine and I am going to stick to it. It’s not anything too ambitious nor are there any specific goals besides just working out regularly. What this routine is designed to do is make sure that every day I am doing some form of exercise so that I can keep the ball rolling. If I’m able to maintain my schedule I’m sure the results will be positive. Next, assuming my financial situation allows for it, I am going to try to have at least one day off a week. Even though one mobile appointment doesn’t take up too much time (typically 1.5-2.5 hours) I would rather be spending my time surfing, gardening, or just going for a walk/bike ride. I think a day or two away from work will be a good thing.
Minimize Stress
Tasks and projects keep piling up so this month I am going to dedicate a large portion of time to streamlining my tasks and finishing (some) projects. I am going to try to make a stable routine (as much as possible) for tasks such as banking, grocery shopping, paying bills, etc. I am also going to set aside time during my evenings to tackle a number of projects that I have at various stages of completion. Lastly, I am going to organize my work space and purge myself of clutter and material possessions. I’m not becoming a Buddhist or anything but I’ve found that a lot of the stuff that I have – particularly stuff that I don’t use – causes clutter which causes stress for me. If I haven’t used it in over a year there is a good chance that it’s going to get sold, donated, or trashed. At this stage in my life I need to minimize and streamline.
So there we have it. The Month of Ryan! Come May I am hoping for a more fun, healthy, organized and happy self.
*Not an April Fools joke!
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