At first, I was just going to take time off. I knew in the back of my head that there were a number of things I wanted to do. So, I planned the important things first.
I am going back to South Africa for 2 weeks. I am spending a week with my sister on the farm, and another with my parents. At my sister’s, I am going to catch up with some friends I haven’t seen for years and years and years. At my parents’, I am planning to document some more of my parents’ stories.
When I was doing our family history, it was so sad that we knew so little about our grandparents and great-grandparents. I can’t even remember the stories my grandmother, Ninni, used to tell me, because I tried to document them when she was too old. She couldn’t remember everything so well anymore. I promised myself that I would document my parents’ stories while their memories were still relatively young. And also, my dad has had the most colourful life imaginable!
I am going to get all those things I had wanted to do, done. I am an organised, list-making person by nature. The blackboard in our kitchen always contains to-do lists. I consult my diary every day, and I put everything I need to do in it. However, I was additionally inspired by Mike Gayle’s book, “To Do List”, which I am currently reading. The difference is, he is generally not a list person, but he decides to become a real grown-up by making a list of 1277 things to do, and then has a go at doing the list, whilst writing a book about his experience. My list is a bit more modest. It currently stands at 150 items, but I am continually adding things and ticking things off.
How long is this going to take me? Well, it is not really a project in the true sense of the word, as I don’t feel like I need to tick everything off to be successful. It is more like an ongoing work-in-progress, but where I am given the luxury of a bit more time to see how much more I can accomplish in this time. Because time is a funny thing, the more time you have, the more time you take. My mother used to say, “If you want something done, give it to be busiest person”. And she is right! I really use my time very well, I am very busy most of the time, and I get a lot of things done! (And then I just collapse in a heap every now and then from exhaustion).
How much time am I dedicating before looking for work again? I am currently working 2 days per week until the end of the month. So, I have 3 days a week available. When I return from South Africa, I have a week before my MSP course. And thereafter, I will need to focus on trying to find a new assignment. If I am offered a part-time contract for a few months, I may choose to work part-time for a few months before sinking my teeth into something chunkier after the summer. Let’s just hope the work materialises!
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| My notebook and coloured pens help me manage my lists! |
So, what type of things are on the list? There are quick day-to-day things, as well as bigger things that will take me a lot longer. I shall post a sample in a separate post.
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