Morning:
Good
morning. This is us. It’s about 6 am and we’ve been up for about
an hour. We are on our second cup of
coffee and also came back with water and the vegetable tray. I guess if we’re hungry we might as well give
ourselves things that won’t hurt us.
That would make sense, right? I
think the tray is going to work for us.
I don’t know the cost – I’m sure more than the regular vegetables, but
it is being prepared in a nice variety at a pace we can eat, and then afterward
– when the ranch dressing wears out, we can update it with our own and finish
the tray. I know, I know … is there no
end to the interesting things we think of?
OK, don’t get silly! So far we
did just a couple things on our task list, but we worked on both Chrometa and
Outlook Tasks. That’s a good start to
the day. Yesterday we also did well with
both. We learned how to print invoices
then of what we did – and we learned to use Excel for the charting. I think one of the goals became to earn
$1,386 a month which is the amount we net from Disability. So far after 3 days – well 2 ½ days, we’ve
only earned about $72. Since we’re on an
8 hour a day at $8 an hour – 40 hour week, that would mean over 7 days instead
of 5 days, we should be focusing on about 5 ¾ hours of work a day or a goal of
$320 a 7 day week. That makes sense
right?
So far the working tasks are 1) processing email, 2) reading
articles, 3) working on finances, 4) using Google chrome, 5) utilizing Excel,
6) participating in fundraising, 7) completing tasks on Outlook, 8) learning
about anything, 9) working on the MMM, 10) completing reports, 11)
communication such as snag-it, 12) organizational such as Chrometa, 13)
operational activities on the computer, 14) advancing technical knowledge, and
15) research. The working tasks are
each paid at $8 an hour, but mostly measured in minutes. The personal tasks aren’t “paid” and run like
dreaming, exploring and discovering, facebook, personal calls, food, kids,
Linda, time away from keyboard relaxing, being with Rich awake or sleeping,
shopping, watching videos and activities such as checking the weather. Yup, yup … these are all the important things
that keep me busy. Hmm, think explore
and discovery go over to the work side.
It seems like when we’re learning or doing something that we intend to
do to progress ourselves we’re “in the money,” but when we’re just sitting back
and are being pretty dormant or sociable that’s more like our fun NON-work
time. Again the idea is to average the
amount of money we earn in disability by trying to be more productive. Writing these notes are more productive,
because we are using thinking/doing processing.
As a side note there, we think we’re going back today and including all
this week’s note writing in our blog as separate entries. That should be good, right? I don’t think we’re out to excite anyone, but
we’d like even this part to be productive for us. Hmm, no reason not to do that part now, brb.
1/24/2015 8:20 AM – Good good – that is all done, but it
took about an hour to get everything lined up.
The blog entry looks good though with the 10-12 pictures we
collected. Think we’re going to use the washroom
for a second, but then we’re going to take our medicine, eat, and then get
showered and dressed, THEN back to our task list … maybe we’ll stop and do a
few things in the process. BRB Hmm,
partway there we did the medicine, eat AND kitchen things like collect dishes,
unload/load dishwasher, clean counters, fluff clothes in dryer and clean
counters … also spot cleaned study and cleared off kitchen table. Now we need a few moments on the computer
before we FINALLY take our shower. I
think we’re going to try to relax a moment, though it felt real natural
cleaning up the kitchen. We don’t get
credit for doing it at nighttime, but it was done – without rushing prior to 9
am. That’s good too - right? We’re happy with where we are with
Chrometa. I don’t know if we’re going to
continue making productive use of it enough to keep it when it costs, but we’re
really excited about the program at this point.
We aren’t to the point of figuring out which parts are doing what. It seems like a collective project, though
we’re pretty sure there are those of us with strong enough interests in order
it is making a difference. Maybe that is
a task coming up – to think through how we as a system process the formats
we’ve now got set up. We did get buzzed
by the dryer, but we’re avoiding it for a second. We took it off buzzer. Just a FEW more minutes before the
shower? Not sure yet why that one is so
hard. We’ll get there. I know.
On a side note – we haven’t been able to show/explore the
new Chrometa with Rich yet, but preliminary we went through a few moments of it
with Linda. First glance was probably
the same as it will be with Rich – I’ts a lot of messing around where it would
just be faster to do it. I suppose we
could start collecting our thoughts on this and why this level of detail is
important to us. I think the first
reason we started – with the Outlook tasks is that so little is being
remembered by us to do. We have to go
through a teaching process and a thinking process as we add and subtract tasks
to the major list. As it turns out the
recurring part is being very handy. When
we start in the morning we still have to “finish task” for all the red items
not completed from the day before, but as soon as we click that – the next day
shows up – at least for those recurring each day. It helps to refresh our mind as to why we
didn’t get to those tasks, so part of THAT process is working through our own
mental obstacles. It also helps to keep
us focused … when we have downtime, instead of going to facebook or videos,
we’re spending more time working through what we can do next on the list, what
we got accomplished, or what we’d like to note while writing these notes. As to the notes, it REALLY was nice to
copy/paste so many thoughts and ideas to the blog. Somehow it seems less intimidating to write
here in the Outlook notes from the notes task, then to get out the MS Word
which seems like a disconnected process.
Yesterday’s addition of course was to add the greyed box and the
subtitles of morning, afternoon and evening, plus add the auto lines which
helps make our paragraph thoughts more distinct. It also encourages us to walk away to start a
paragraph thought after a period of time – getting us moving through the day
and it encourages us to date entries coming farther apart in time – which are
handier for the reader/us.
Let me think if there are any stray thoughts on using the
Outlook task program. I think there is more
on that in past notes, but as to the morning process, we have this one task
which says something about starting off the day – in a sense it gives us
structure to be getting things done – and to be working toward special projects
– like washing the floor and buffing, or in getting to the sewing or
reading. I like that we’re working for
free time. That’s a good deal. Maybe now skipping for the moment over to our
thoughts on Chrometa … We looked forward to getting a summary of what we’d been
doing yesterday when we woke up – and to be getting to the starting part that
states basically that we’re earning our keep WITH disability. The thing about disability shouldn’t be about
doing nothing, it should be about learning to do the things that are putting us
in that category. You’ve already read
the part about being productive with our “work/paid” time. That’s the magical 5 ¾ hours a day –
INCLUDING weekends. If we hit that mark
everyday – we’d be earning our $320 a week.
We hadn’t placed a number on our work week income (after Medicare
deduction) but it’s an important number.
We talked to Linda about the “game” function of what we’re doing. This part here where we are writing isn’t new
– it is just getting back to the blogging, but more productively. It might be asked why our thoughts on getting
things done is so important, but if getting things done IS one of your top
priorities, it does seem to make more sense that it be studied, plus we have to
wait in-between tasks so that part wins too.
But as to the playing part – that’s where we get into it with the
parts. If it seems that we all have to
be involved in getting things done – it seems a lot more positive to be
“getting” the next task.
Plus with the Chrometa – we are following along with what actually
happens to our day. I think there will
be more excel studying of the numbers later as we collect data, but for now it
is really important that we look at charts for example the client or project
pie graphs. We want to understand that
we are doing something worthwhile with our minds. Plus there is this thing like what else were
we doing with our time. Not that we
don’t need some free time to do the sewing, reading or Mindmap, but the
blog/processing part has always been extremely important to us. It is like our loved processes of
meta-cognition. Basically, thinking
about thinking. If it’s our thoughts
that speed or slow us down, we want to know more about why that is important to
the parts thinking about it. Like for
example we are now logging our weight and food eaten, but if there needs to be
an odd note making it more clear why we did good or bad, it’s just a couple
typed things and collectively that means we are working through our patterns,
and that might be later discussed with Dr. Marvin if we are not able to think
our way through it. I think we keep
recycling if we’re not thinking on paper – this has been a twelve year cycle of
blogging about our life. Somehow it’s
important for parts who don’t know what’s happening as well as setting a
record. We still think that we’re being
a good multiple as to someone seeing long sessions over many years with Dr.
Marvin, like what are we doing that could be helpful to others, this adds to
the Mind map program as to where are other multiples, and what are they
thinking processing? I want to in the
long run be helpful, like many of us, because the challenges we face are
different somewhat to singletons.
We will be processing too I think this week our commitment
issues to Dr. Marvin. This is a hard one
so we’re going to leave just a few thoughts, but there is a problem not wanting
to leave the house and the difficulty of driving/walking to Dr. Marvin’s. We’re used to hour sessions, so that’s not
necessarily a problem, but it is 5 hours out of our day/routines that something
isn’t getting done at home. It is true
that time with him is often more valuable, then straight time at home, but
sometimes, its more difficult than others.
Part of it is wondering too about the time spent in session without him
… a couple of days ago someone brought it up as to doing more in sessions than
the mere reporting of details – to summarize and keep him up. Maybe we are taking more responsibility with
that in our going back to blogging. I
think we’re looking more from him towards feelings of REALLY being with
him. We’re realizing that we’re having
trouble looking up at him and letting us here thoughts of being in the present
rather than describing events from the past – or are looking forward to in the
future. This seems to be important
though we don’t know why yet exactly. So
maybe in a little bit of summary that will get us toward the shower, is that
there is one part with all the detail where we are trying to find or improve
our value in life, and then in the second part – we need to know that we have
value in our “being there” relationship to dr. Marvin. We also need him to work through issues with
me and Rich. Both of us have been doing
the crabby thing lately. That is
however, just ongoing. We seem to be working
through issues of his time, my time and our time. I think its something that all couples go
through, you know?
Well that’s it for now, think we’re going to get going, k?
Afternoon:
1/24/2015 12:42 PM – back again … we’re moving along, but
not as fast as I would like. We still
have the steaming and the floors to do.
Rich is going now to his mothers, and we’re hoping that he stops by at
Ace hardware. He’s enthused. He did some work with the closet project –
THOUGH left some wood in the sunroom – which got a big growl when he said it
would move when he finished the project – we’re soooo not liking that. He put the boards on my drafting table. We’re letting it slide just he has to be
quicker at getting the closets pulled together.
PLUS, he took out the two garbage, THE tree, AND he fixed my chair with
an extra wheel he had. He gets points
for that EVEN though he didn’t remember to put his dishes in the
dishwasher. I don’t know how he thinks
they get in there? Who knows. I did get the dishwasher started after we
both had lunch, AND we did get the clothes folded/hung and put away except the
few pieces we have to steam now. We got
the machine out and everything ready to zip through it – getting more space in
the closet area is making us feel more enthused. Nothing like finally getting to steaming and
then finding the clothes all crushed in the closet. You know?
We’re taking a real break now that Rich has left out … We’re a flurry of
random thoughts. Hehehe – it seems that
he did put music on and we did take our medicine – about an hour late, but
we’re feeling better now. It feels
WONDERFUL to have our house this put together, and it has felt refreshing
actually to do the work.
Rich made his lunch earlier and we watched and talked
lightly as he ate his sandwich – and then we cornered him a bit, but we got him
to sit down and listen to our new program Chrometa. Right away he started figuring if the program
would work for him. I think he’s on the
down low on that. We kept emphasizing
the point that it was making us accountable.
And, it would do the same for him, but we believe he’s in denial over
the consumption of his time. I don’t
think for example, he wanted to know how much time he spent fishing or talking
with his fishing people. We tried to
emphasize that if that was what he wanted to do, then it was a good use of time
– just that he’d have to recognize it for what it was. We also talked seriously that the program
would pick up his contact list on outlook and on his phone and then things – like
timing of his calls would automatically go to that customer – even if he wanted
to make other customer tasks like we did as actual tasks that we do around the
computer. He was sarcastic when he asked
if we’re recording our time playing with the program. We told him it was learning and
analyzing. It does me good to know for
example that I wait up about 20-25 emails before we stop and look, but maybe
not that it is happening 7 times a day.
If I look at my articles and realize that there isn’t anything learning
based, then I’m given the conscious opportunity to check and make better
choices. I said already, that I didn’t
like that I’d only spent x amount of time doing “work” related tasks, but we
said now the third day, we are doing things to change our behavior. It really is about accountability. He wanted to laugh at the part too where we
are billing ourselves for tasks. He was
able to understand that the goal was to make about $46 a day, but he wanted to
say it was irrelevant because I wasn’t going to get a change in my money for
going over or under. But, we said it
doesn’t have to be like that. There are
other incentives that play out when cognizant about the availability of
ourselves and the delegation of time toward things that are more prioritized. I said that it makes me feel better to “earn”
$46 a day or more, rather than if I’d spent a day and only earned enough work
time for $31. It kind of balances out my
time – EVEN if he things 5 ¾ hours a day is low – it is a 7 day work week, and
No we’re not like his son – it’s always nice to go over your goal – or have
your week average out, but it is important to set goals. We discussed again that the purpose of being
disabled, wasn’t to sit there doing nothing.
Even if the majority of our time so far is going to tasks such as
household (domestic Goddess), this is an important study of time. I think in the end after we talked and then
brought him over to the computer GRUDINGLY the program made a good impression. He wants to make issues that it takes a long
time to put things in, but then we showed him after talking with him where we
just typed, “Meet with Rich about Chrometa”
Ok, tell me how that just took 20 minute out of your day. In general, I found him defensive and
protective over seeing his time as he saw it rather than work with reality, but
that is another issue. Maybe in the long
term evaluation of his interests, it is just a starting point as to note where
he was coming from. We’ve added it to
our regiment and we already like the results.
AND we like the results of thinking out loud between the work periods of
doing more physical stuff. It balances
my mind (Corey) and I think it is helpful to conclude mental thoughts toward
building and developing a conversation.
Good Anns. Now? Lets steam those clothes and hang them up,
right?
(79,695/21,377/403)
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