My life has been a whirlwind since returning home from Aruba. Almost 3 weeks gone and on vacation is lovely while you’re gone. But then you have to get back to real life and in my case I had to do it without missing a beat and had to hit the ground running.
From the moment I stepped off the plane there was mail to sort
And product reviews I neeeded to write. Lots of them:
And: Snack Boxes
And: On a Stick!
And: Stevia & Chocolate
Whew.
But I think I am mostly caught up now.
I’ve also been knocking out some easy, fresh, fast meals and snacks.
Salads with veggies
Adding in some Sweet & Sour Honey Lemon Tofu would be great with the salad.
But I haven’t turned my oven on in a month!Everything I’ve made has either been on the stovetop…
Like Mango Balsamic Rice, Beans, & Mixed Vegetables
Or has been made in my Vita…
From Taste of the Tropics Smoothies
to No Bake Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
I’ve been knocking out easy things that don’t heat up the house. Not that it’s that hot or anything here.
Truth be told, turning on my oven has nothing to do with heat index and everything to do with time management and just being so ridiculously busy.
I had to knock out getting a new computer all set up, too.
But that was a fun knock out!
From my last post, Stevia & Chocolate, it was fun to read if you’re a stevia fan or not. Most of you have tried it and really like it or are at least curious about trying it one of these days.
As suspected, most of you are chocolate fans. I knew that already! But there were a few people who said you’re just meh or whatever about chocolate. <— I don’t understand this!
Questions:
1. What have you been knocking out recently?
Any life stuff, chores, errands, projects that you’ve tackled and knocked out?
Or maybe you’ve made some knock-outs in the kitchen. Any gems you want to tell me about?
2. Do you feel stressed or anxious when things pile up?
I do! I hate the feeling of excess, pile-up, surplus, too much. It leaves me anxious.
It stresses me out when I feel that things are too piled up. I hate letting anything accumulate, especially blog writing and product reviews. Heather recently wrote that she wanted to move away from as many product reviews going forward and in the meantime had a ton to get through and was just going to knock them out as quickly as possible.
Not sure if I will start doing any less in the future, but I definitely don’t like them piling up for three weeks, and wanted to knock mine out, lickity split.
I like to work ahead of the curve, not behind it. And when things pile up and are waiting for me, it makes me a bit frazzled and frantic and I don’t stop and find peace until things are done. Or at least until I have things better controlled.
From my refrigerator busting at the seams with food I know we’ll have to scramble to eat before it goes bad to tons of phone calls that I have to return to emails I need to reply to, I really dislike the feeling of things being piled up!
What are your thoughts on pile ups and accumulation?
3. What do you do about it to either prevent it from happening or how to cope once things do just pile up?
I try to just take a deep breath, realize it’s not the end of the world if I can’t get to everything as promptly as I wish.
But, I also work as quickly and efficiently as possible to get things back on track.
Trying to just roll with the punches of life, practice some yoga breathing, and just be chill about things is my overall strategy.
P.S. Thanks for the Coconut Oil Giveaway entries!
i too start to get stressed if my to-do list and just things start to pile up. mostly though with any kind of deadline, which makes NO sense because i’m never late with things that have an actual deadline. but it’s like the second i get the project i do all i can to get as much done as i can right away, and i like to be done early. i just feel a lot better if i know i’m ahead of the curve. that said, it’s impossible to stay ahead on everything, so i prioritize. i’m also able to stay focused on what i need to and pound things out rather quickly. i also tell myself that my extra anxiety about finishing things is self-imposed, so i take a breath and acknowledge that in the end i always get what i need to done. good luck with finishing up all that’s on your to-do list, Averie…we all know you will! :)
Ooooh, yes, I HATE pile-ups, and I LOVE it when I go through big piles and sort everything out! So cleansing :-)
I am working on packing and I refuse to let it get me overwhelmed. I’m trying to take things slowly and not get stressed. We aren’t under the gun or anything so that helps a lot. I really just need to get Tony set up at the new place and come back to finish things up here.
I hope you’re having a great week Averie!
I HATE letting things pile up. It is one of the few things that totally stresses me out, which is why I am the master calendar organizer and list maker. I try to stay one or two steps ahead of the game and it leaves me with more free time and MUCH less stress!
I always try to have a game plan and stay on top of things, so being gone (I was gone for a week recently as you know) definitely throws my off my element. But I usually can prepare myself ahead of time for a couple stressful days of playing catch-up and know it will all get sorted out!
Yes I get super anxious when things start to pile up — dirty dishes, laundry, work, things to do, etc. But I do what you are doing — knocking them out! I make a list and I get through as much as I can. It is amazing how much better I feel when I get things done. I just don’t like leaving things undone or not quite finished. Drives me nuts!
And its ok if there are people who don’t like chocolate — more for us who do!
I admit, I am the WORST person to handle stress when my to-do lists gets out of control. I wish I could be more relaxed because I know it will always get done but it still always freaks me out to have more to do than I think will get done.
BUSY BUSY BEE!!! I hate coming back from travel when I KNOW that there are a gozillion things to do at home. GAH. 1 thing at a time :)
i HATE feeling “behind the 8 ball,” as my mom would say. i am definitely the work ahead/plan ahead type. nothing stresses me out more than having stuff to do, and no time to do it. or stuff to do and a last-minute curve ball prevents me from getting thru a To Do list.
just remember all the stuff you HAVE tidied up/gotten thru so far!
i also try to remember: “don’t sweat the small stuff,” and “how important is this in the grand scheme of life?”
glad you’re enjoying your new computer! and you’re knocking out great recipes without the oven!
I JUST typed sentiments to that effect on Janetha’s blog last night when she asked about words of wisdom. Yep, that’s what i said!
““don’t sweat the small stuff,” and “how important is this in the grand scheme of life?””
Things are consistently “piled up” and on my “to-do” list. Unfortunately, it seems like the only day I get anything accomplished is Saturday ! :(
Love the new computer!
UGHG. I DO feel so stressed when things start piling up. I can just feel that tower of things to do looming over me. It’s not nice at all. And yes, I’m such a procrastinator I do tend to let things pile up. I gotta wait till the mood strikes to get everything done. The only thing I’m NOT like that about is school work and actual work. I enjoy those things so much I actually relish doing them and always stay right on top of them. It’s the smaller things and everyday chores that I always ignore.
Can I have some of that crispy tofu…please? It looks PERFECT!
Your no-bake meals look delicious! No need for the oven when you’re cookin’ up delicious things like that. I don’t like it when things pile up, but once I make up my mind to tackle things, I’m on it…and I think it’s fun to cross things off my to-do list. It sounds like you have everything under control – and anyways, all the product reviews look like fun. Especially enjoy life chocolate items, yum. Yeah, you can tell I’m a chocolate-lover. ;-)
I hate when things pile up too, and I am not one to just pass over things, but there comes a point when I just say that x y or z isn’t going to happen. Life is more important. BUt I get as much done as efficiently as possible before that. Yestereday was a perfect example, but most of everything got done. Same with today.
I busted out buying a car in two days. That’s the most money I’ve ever spent in my life!! I’m posting photos in a couple days, but I LOVE it! My parents even let me park it in the garage since there is a storm rolling in with potential hail. Gotta love living with the parents….temporarily. ;)
CONGRATS on the new ride! :)
That tofu picture makes it look soooo delicious! Will try!
You get SO much stuff all the time! It’s so cool! I have a habit of getting anxious when things pile up. When it happens, I spend time with Kevin (my bf) – we laugh, walk the dogs, and remind ourselves why life is SO sweet! It really helps!
I usually make a master to do list in the morning and just chug away at it on those kinds of days. I much prefer to be ahead of the curve also. I’ve been knocking out lots and lots of errands to set up my new apartment. So many things to buy, services to set up, and decorations and supplies to purchase. It feels good to finally be mostly settled in now.