Comments on: The Ebb And Flow Of Sustainable Living

By: Saving The World Vs. Saving Yourself… And Finding The Balance To Do Both | One Green Generation

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:40:16 +0000

[...] my own health and well-being. I want to save the world, now now now! But as I’ve mentioned before, it’s important to remember that you need to be healthy and happy in order to be truly [...]

By: Fulfilling Intentions | One Green Generation

Fulfilling Intentions | One Green Generation — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:01:42 +0000

[...] week Pattie wrote a comment here that started me thinking. She wrote that she calls the things on her “to do” list her [...]

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:18:15 +0000

For me what helps is not a calendar but a to-do list written the night before of all the things to do and in what order to do them. That way I know exactly what I need to do and I don’t procrastinate on it all. I’m good at procrastinating. SO much easier to read blogs and chat with people online than other productive things that are swirling around in my head! A concrete plan keeps me on task.

By: kate

kate — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:20:35 +0000

We love Google calendar too. I love that my partner and I can both see it (even if he’s working in the city for the day) and we could both see it when we worked in different places. Of course, it doesn’t work when the internet is down or the power is cut, so it’s not perfect.

We do use the calendar to keep track of where farmers’ markets are each week (they rotate around here) so we can plan weekends around that. Sunday, for example, we’ll be meeting a friend for lunch in the town where the market is, to kill two birds with one stone. We also tend to consolidate tasks, some people might call it “putting things off”. So last weekend, when we had a dinner invitation in the city we’d have to drive for, we also shopped for the things that have been on the list. We were able to find all of them in one shop because we’d done the thinking first.

There are a lot of things on my list that never happen. Mostly I’m ok with that.

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:07:46 +0000

I prefer to live my life without a calendar- I like chaotic, seat of your pants stress! Some days I get a lot done, most others not. I do have a yahoo calendar though

By: JessTrev

JessTrev — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:59:08 +0000

I love pattie’s idea of “fulfilling intentions” — and I just had to say I’m impressed you shoot for tidy. We just skip right to squalor! That accounts for all of our purposeful making of food from scratch and gardening!

By: pattie

pattie — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:10:49 +0000

I started calling my “to-do list each day my “intentions” and I have since found that what I choose to put on it is more meaningful, and I feel more committed during the actual doing of the items. I feel lighter and more purposeful by “fulfilling my intentions” rather than bogged down by “doing my chores.”

By: Shibaguyz

Shibaguyz — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:49:56 +0000

I think the biggest key for us is just doing the next thing. Sometimes, with everything facing you all at once, it is easy to become overwhelmed and freeze up… at least for me, anyway. Jason has been a great influence on me by saying “just do the next thing.”

Actually, it’s more like just do the first thing, then do the next thing. Start with one then go to the other. With us, this usually leads to a few tasks going at the same time. For example, while we are gardening, Jason will have bread rising or baking and we have something on the stove cooking or in the crock pot. Since I am an insomniac, it helps me with the writing and my knitting. And, now that we are getting rid of our cable box, we will have even more time and Jason will be able to get more of his sewing in.

Do the first thing… then do the next…

edited to add:
Definitely agree with you about the motivation factor. If you have a passion for what you are doing or particularly enjoy your tasks, it is MUCH easier to get everything in because it has such meaning. We love what we do and do the things we do because we know it is necessary for either ourselves, our community or the world in general.

By: Di

Di — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:17:14 +0000

Yep sometimes it’s stressful but for the most part I like having a busy life. Like you I use google calendars, and I have a hard copy for offline times (trying to get off the computer more!). We also do the no tv thing aside from watching greys anatomy online. I think no tv definitely helps it frees up time for other activities. Now not to say we’re perfect cos we definitely aren’t, the house could be cleaner for example. But given a choice between cleaning or exercising/gardening, its gardening or exercising for my health that wins.

By: risa b

risa b — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:01:24 +0000

>Not watching television

+1!!!!