timelines and cheetah weeks
paying attention and creating containers
I made my timeline (from the last lab) and added it to the closet archive. One day, I will find it and remember what a very ordinary day was like in 2025.
I like using pictures. Usually, the options are:
Use my phone and print out at Walgreens (or create something digitally)
Use my little Canon Ivy printer, which still needs my phone (I like this printer!)
Shoot little polaroids on the Fujifilm Instax, but they are expensive, and I am not sure I have film…
or
Try something new!
I just bought a toy camera that uses thermal printing to create images on receipt paper. They are low quality and cheap to print, and so much fun. My kids (who are adults) have been using it to take funny photos to leave around the house. The refrigerator is covered with them - something I was not expecting. Because the images are not perfect, they feel aesthetic and analog. Super fun and worth the $25.
I took notes and photos all day and made a little one-page zine (actually, I glued 2 one-page zines together to have more pages), and at the end of the day, wrote and glued for about 15 minutes and called it done.
This project definitely made me pay more attention to what was happening throughout the day. I recorded not just the tasks, but what I was thinking about (Ozzy Osbourne) and the conversation topics I was having with people in my life (the new South Park, my grandma, pottery stencil ideas, a homeless man trying to get in my car).
I am toying with the idea of making this a more regular practice, like trying to do one a month or quarter.
I would love to hear your experience if you tried this challenge too!
This week I am trying something new(ish) and wanted to share. I have a ton of work due - sit down at the computer and think/write/plan work. Every time I start, the projects blossom out of control, in good ways, I guess - but I just can't reel them in.
They are growing and growing.
To get a handle on this, I am scheduling focused work sessions all week and tracking my progress. Tracking helps me see that I am actually getting things done, so I don’t feel overwhelmed.
But just saying I have a work week sounds horribly boring.
So, I named it Cheetah Week.
Cheetah as a symbol came up in a recent card pull, and I love it. Cheetahs are the fastest animals; they are focused and built for bursts of speed, they like restorative rest, females live solitarily or with their children… You get the idea.
This week is a sprint to make significant movement on my workload. It will not all get done, but I will be in a better place by the end of the week.
To prepare, I:
Told my kids about it - they are possibly playing along. Every time I say, “Its Cheetah Week,” I feel a kick of inspiration.
Prepped some food - we are loaded up with food the kids make, so no emergency grocery runs. I made a protein-rich chopped salad, strawberry popsicles, hard-boiled eggs, sun tea…
Wrapped up a few other jobs, like building my new bed and doing all my laundry.
Gathered my diffuser and a new scent to make my space smell good.
Really looked at my schedule as I created a plan. I scheduled in physical breaks/gym visits as well as household chores to break up the brain work. And by evening, I will relax with games or TV.
Reestablished my morning routine, which includes pleasure reading and a slow breakfast.
Scheduled live work sessions to hold myself accountable.
I have a week until a read-along book club begins, so I chose a book from my TBR pile and broke it up into manageable reading chunks. Which means by the end of the week, I will have read a full novel, which is hard for me because I am always reading bits and pieces of books and articles for work.
The challenge this week is to consider a project you want to make forward movement on.
Maybe it is a creative project (writing, art, sewing), some personal care (hiking, swimming, massage, hair cut), or something more mundane (clean the closet out!). If it has been nagging you, can you attend to it this week? Or next week?
Can you create a container for this work that feels intentional and fun, like a mini retreat?
What can you call it to give it energy and life? What would you do to set yourself up for success?
I created a worksheet that might be helpful.
Let me know what you are working on and how you stay motivated! I would love to support you!