Chimp Management

You know when maybe you aren't being the best version of you. You spend too much time worrying, hating how you deal with situations, stressing, feeling bad. Well that was how I felt a few months ago. I was anxious all the time, scared to do new things, nervous about going to work. I wasn't happy with the way every day interactions were going - normally ending in arguments, raised voices and tears. And I felt awful. Why didn't people like me? What was wrong with them? What was wrong with me?

Something had to change and I started reading a book called Chimp Management. Its written by Professor Steve Peters who is a very successful sports psychologist and worked with the British cycling team before their massive wins in the Olympics so you know nothing to be scoffed at!

The simple theory is that your mind is split into 3 parts:

• The Computer - the part that deals with everyday functions
• The Human - the logical rational side
• The Chimp - the emotionally driven side

When you are acting in a way that doesn't make you happy this is your Chimp acting. The chimp can react quicker than your human side and is stronger which means you often react with your Chimp and then regret it once your human side kicks in. The more I read the book I realised I wasn't being responsible for my actions and emotions. So many times the book hit the nail on the head and sometimes the message was quite hard to acknowledge (i.e the tendency to blame others for when a situation goes sour rather than accepting my own responsibilities)

There is no way of getting rid of the Chimp - it is an integral part of who you are - but the book tries to teach you to manage your chimp and I have found the ideas really helpful. I now have a Chimp Management book where I write maybe 3 or 4 lines as to how the day has gone and how I think I could improve. It's also abut not making yourself feel guilty about having feelings you aren't happy with or acting in a way you wish you hadn't as feeling guilty is another wasted emotion. I'm trying to also recognise the fact that I can't control other people's Chimps!

I have never read a self help book before, never thought I needed to, but honestly this was one of the most enlightening books I have ever read and one of my wishes for 2015 is to try to manage my Chimp. I haven't got it all sorted but hopefully with some more practice I can feel more in control

Have you read any helpful self help books? If you do decide to read Chimp Management let me know how you get on, I'd love to know what you think

Organisation Plan

One of my wishes for 2015 was to get more organised (I actually wrote 2014 here to start with - I just can't get it yet!!). So I have started an organisation plan - ideas of what I want to organise in my life - and as I still have no idea where to even start yet I need a plan!

BLOG

• Plan my blog content - it is so hard to think of ideas sometimes off the cuff and also need to spend more time organising the post before hand. I have read that a lot of bloggers spend days tweaking posts and you can really tell that their blog posts are a lot more crafted than mine. I have a notebook I started while I had no internet so I hope this will help - how do you plan your blog content?
• Blog schedule - I tried this before and failed - I guess I had the wrong system for me and I also didn't have enough blog content planned out to do this. I also played with the idea of doing specific post types at a regular interval which I might bring back - do you have a blogging schedule? 

HOME

• Organize my things - I have recently moved out and I have a lot of things that I have no idea how to store or where to put them. I think I need more storage as my large chest of drawers wouldn't fit up the stairs into my bedroom! Do you have any clever storage tips?
• Keep my wardrobe tidy - At home my room used to be covered in clean clothes that I never put away in my wardrobe as it is my most hated thing to do! One of my resolutions when I moved out was to put my clothes away once clean. I also want to make sure I am using my wardrobe to it's full potential - wearing my all my clothes and getting rid of any that don't fit or I don't wear - what is your most hated household chore? how do you keep your wardrobe fresh?
• Meal planning - Another of my resolutions was to cook more but I'm a bit of a haphazard cook and used to end up wasting a lot of money on wasted ingredients. I seriously cannot afford to do this so hopefully planning meals will help with this and get rid of the nightly stress of what to eat! Do you meal plan or are you more an off the cuff chef?
• Finances - I am a bad financial planner - I pay too much for stuff I don't really need or use and I'm not very good at saving money. I'm too generous and lend out too much money and it's not something that I can afford to do anymore since I have moved out so I need to look at ways to sort through what I have, expenditures and savings - do you have any good saving tips?

UNIVERSITY

• Work schedule - I am starting my Open University degree at the end of January and I'm working full time and I want a life so I am going to have to make time and work productively - how do/did you plan your study time?
• Organise my notes - When I worked on my Open University intro course I noticed that I am a bit of keep notes everywhere person which I did improve when working through the module - hopefully I can improve this more - are you a pen & paper or a computer notes person?

WORK

• Plan time productively - I think I spend a lot of time doing things poorly just because that's the way they were always done so I'm hoping to be able to shake things up a bit (permission permitting!) I am also thinking of doing the idea where if a task takes less than 5 minutes to complete then I should do it straight away rather than sitting on it/ adding it onto my ever increasing list or forgetting it entirely!! How much input do you have over how you plan your day?
• Organise my desk - I moved desks when I moved roles at work and this new desk just doesn't work for me. I have to have a lot more stuff to do what I do and I just don't like how it is all set up - tips for an organised desk please!!

And if I do all of this I will seriously be the most organised person in the history of the world!

Wishes for 2015

I have never stuck to a New Years Resolution in my life so I'm hoping that if I throw enough wishes down onto a page then hopefully some of them will maybe stick. So in 2015 I want to...

• Travel - in the UK/ abroad - I just want to see more of the world
• Spend more time blogging ... and less time worrying about the stats and page view
• Spend less time worrying in general
• Complete my first module of my degree
• Spend more time cooking ... and share some of the recipes on here
• Try something new - yes very vague but something new
• Spend more time with friends
• Manage the chimp (I will explain all very soon)
• Put myself out there
• Have more fun
• Be more organised - with blogging/ with work/ with my degree/ at home/ with money
• Speaking of money - save some money - I'd like to save a minimum of £1000
• Go on a date
• Take more pictures ... and share them

I'm excited to get started... bring on 2015!!

What are your wishes for 2015?

2014 - A Recap

While this year has been a little quiet on the blog front due to my lack of commitment, however this year has been pretty busy.

I moved out!! Me any my friend decided that it was time to move out and within three weeks of viewing this house we had the keys. It was the only house we viewed and it just felt right (you can view all my posts about moving out here)

My role at work completely changed. I got offered the position to take over a department at work from a woman who was leaving on maternity leave. It's now been nearly 6 months since I made the decision to go with it and 99% of the time I am pretty glad I made it. Here's hoping that 2015 holds lots of new opportunities too.

I wish I had taken more pictures of the places I have been this year so I could share them with you but I'm pretty rubbish at remembering to take my camera and my phone generally stays in my handbag! However this year I have been to...

- Paris. I took my sister to Paris for her 21st birthday. We went via the Eurostar and we were there for 3 days. We didn't go up the Eiffel tower (even though I purchased the tickets, I had a panic about going up so wasted the money like an idiot) but we did go to a Moulin Rouge performance which was honestly one of the best things I have ever seen.

- Center Parcs, Elveden. As this is relatively close to home we often go here as a family. It's great for the kids and adults a like and we had a lovely family holiday including lots of swimming, eating, drinking and playing. 

- Colchester Zoo. I love a zoo so I am amazed that I haven't been here sooner but in June me and my sister went. She packed the most amazing picnic and I drove which I think is a very fair trade. I saw my new favourite animal ever since I watched a documentary regarding them, the pygmy hippo and we fed a giraffe. It was crazily hot & sunny and we were really lucky.

- Sheffield & Leeds. I went to watch cricket with my best friend in Leeds. I actually really enjoyed it and even started to understand what was going on. Maybe cricket will be my sport of choice as my attempt to get into football this year failed before it even started as I didn't want to pick a team. I also drove all the way there and back, the longest I have ever driven, it was fine but my best friend din't warn me that I would have to drive straight on one road for 90 miles... in hindsight I'm glad he didn't!

- London. I wish I went to London more often as every time I go I absolutely adore it but this year I only went twice and we went for my sister's 21st both times. Once was the day before we went to Paris and I booked for us to go to the Duck & Waffle. The cocktails were amazing and amazingly strong and the views were astonishing. The other time we went to the Tate Modern and had afternoon tea at the Ritz. Finger sandwiches and art, I am so refined!

I also finished my Open University intro course and applied to start my full degree in January 2015. You can read my post about it here

I also started writing a book this year which I hope to develop more in 2015

So all in all a relatively busy 2014 and hopefully an even better 2015 (with more blog posts!)

Moving In - The Not So Practicalities

This time two weeks ago I moved in to my new place and my last post was about the practical side of moving in but moving out of your family home for the first time is not really about being practical. It's more about the crazy raft of emotions and thoughts that follow. It all still feels very surreal, the fact that it's been two weeks since I have even stepped foot in my old room just doesn't seem to compute. 

I have only ever lived in two other places my whole life, both of them on the same site, one of them the caravan when I was born and then when the bungalow was built that was it. It's getting used to the stairs as I've always lived on a single level, getting used to the cabinet in the kitchen that you have to open & close the doors in a certain order, having carpet in my bedroom rather than laminate, showering in a cubicle rather than a bath. And they are all so little that you wouldn't even think you would notice them. I still have all the same bedroom furniture, the same ornaments and trinkets and yet they look so different. And those little things do matter

When people ask how it is I don't know what to say. I say amazing, great, fun, strange, quiet... and it's all those things and more. There are so many things about living with someone who aren't your family that I hadn't even considered before. My room mate is one of my best friends so to be honest in some ways it is probably easier than a stranger because we know each other. She knows that I am fussy about food and get moody after a long day at work. But then we also have more to lose, you can't fall out over things like who last washed up or stupid inconsequential things like that because what is that in comparison to a friendship. 

Also to note that on the practical side of things I kind of didn't follow my own advice. I took no pictures - just bundled everything in - still haven't taken a picture in this place! And I just crawled into an unmade bed that has some clothes I need to put away on the end of it! Do as I say people not as I do.

Moving In - The Practicalities

When you move in make sure you have a detailed inventory that you agree with. If one isn't supplied do one and give it to your landlord/rental provider and make sure they agree. This way you won't be paying for any damage that was there when you arrived.

Take pictures throughout the property - this proves how you received the property and that you left it the way you got it. Pictures don't lie (OK I know that they can lie but in this case pictures don't lie!!)

Make sure you have contents insurance - if anything goes wrong then this will be your life line.

Make sure your furniture fits - so far I have held off ordering a new sofa as I'm not sure what will fit up the stairs. At the moment I'm still not sure if some of my furniture will fit into my bedroom but as I already had it and I'm moving out of my parents house, literally 10 minutes down the road, I don't need to panic about this too much. If it really doesn't fit then it will just have to come back.

Take meter readings - work out how to take meter readings

Pack essentials like toilet roll, tea, coffee etc. separately. Also pack some clothes & pyjamas away from your main clothes as honestly the last thing you want to do when you move is unpack all of your clothes and put them in your wardrobe.

Check that the sink is properly connected and when you empty the water from the sink at 10pm that water doesn't pour all into the cupboard under the sink, the floor and pretty much everywhere because yeah that's pretty annoying and you will swear.

Start as you mean to go on - make your bed, wash up, put things away. Be a grown up

Any tips you have for moving in?

Festive Snacks - Cheese & Chutney Toasted Sandwich

One of my local pubs do a fantastic carvery and the lady that does all the cooking is a sides wizard - yeah the meat and the potatoes are good but the pastry plaits, cauliflower cheese and cheesy bread & butter puddings are honestly divine. 
One of the amazing plaits she does is a cheese & chutney plait which is delicious but I suck at pastry and I need instant gratification on a cold afternoon filled with packing so the cheese & chutney toasted sandwich was born!

Super simple... 4 ingredients 

Bread 
Mature Cheddar Cheese
Chutney (I used a caramelized onion chutney from the jar but feel free to experiment)
Margarine/butter

I used a sandwich toaster as we have one at home but if you don't then this would work just as well in a frying or griddle pan, it just takes a little longer and requires a little more skill. Butter the bread, grate the cheese, put the bread butter side down, sprinkle the cheese, spoon in the chutney (don't be greedy!) and toast. Then ram it in your face while trying to not burn your face with hot melted cheese!!