Stealing Time.

I was pondering today as I walked out of my lab, about a conversation I had with Daryl many moons ago.
One crisp morning as we loaded papers into our crates we discussed finding money and how if you find $20 you are then always up $20. This was the flip side of the thought that if you drop (and loose) a $20 note, no matter what you do, you will never make back that $20. From that day, you will always be $20 down1.
This was revisited in my mind as I walk from my lab 30 minutes before it was to end. My day was to be 10 to 4 of straight class. So, by walking out of the class half an hour early, I had effectively found 30 minutes. I was up 30 minutes for the day. That time was free as I had nothing to do in the lab and the lab was what I was going to be spending the time on.
Just a thought I had over my unplanned lunch break.



1. The process going, that you could work to earn the $20 back, but then if you hadn't lost the $20 note, you would have $40. It's not an overly profound or intellectual realization, but then again, Daryl and I were never the sharpest or deepest tools in the box.

Hang me up to dry.

And the results are in. I have recorded and total all the money I have spent over the last two weeks, and my gosh I spend a lot1. Now comes the challenge of reducing it. It also helps that I noted what the money was spent on, so I what areas I reduce my spending in. So that is fun.

Also, just because I know you are interested, I added another item to the doing things that scare me list on the weekend. I went to my mates 21st on sunday night. Doesn't so that scary does it. The only problem was that I met this mate through uni and thus I didn't know any of his other friends, or family, or anyone else at the party. It was terrifying at first, walking into a house I didn't know (and wasn't 100% sure that is was the right one at first), full of people I didn't know from a bar of soap2. But it turned out to be a lot of fun. I ended up talking to some really cool people and was one of the last to leave.

On the topic of doing things that scare me, I have recently found myself with the opportunity to do something that scares me more than most. It's something I have done before, but not for some time, and it's only recently that the idea of doing it again has become realistic. It's funny how when we are not exposed to the thing that makes us sweat, we forget just how much it really scares us. Just as, after awhile thinking of being at a great height doesn't seem so scary, until you find your self up there again. Then you remember that you were terrified last time you tried to walk the high wire. But you never know, hopefully I will at least be able to walk up to the edge...



Oh, and I realize that the title has nothing to do with the contents, but I couldn't think of a title the fitted the whole blog, and that was the song playing as I finished. Sorry about that, hope I didn't get your hopes up.

1. For more information, be me.

2. That really is an odd saying.

My Budgetary Aspirations (aka, A Chong Inspired Change)

I have decided to start two budget activities, both inspired by one Ben Chong.
The first thing I have decided to budget is money. Whilst conversing with my friend Ben Chong on the weekend, we found ourselves on the topic of my watch and it's lack of a light. This was because it was the cheapest watch I could find. That prompted the previously mentioned Ben to ask "what if that's how you chose everything you bought, except food?". Good question, and not a totally bad idea. This got me pondering about money and how much I spend. So, for the next two weeks I am going to note all the money I spend, and what it's on. Then in the weeks following, I shall try in a variety of ways, to reduce it. The plan so far is to set aside the money I save each week for something. I have a feeling that Ben's original ponder was on the topic of how we live in excess in this most luckiest of countries, so perhaps I give it away. Or I just us it to live, as money is not something i have heaps to spare, we'll see.
The second thing I am attempting to budget is time. Also an idea of that Chong kid, I am working on a time table so that I stop waisting so much time. I recently spent a week without my computer. This greatly reduced my time killing capabilities, and the week was very productive. So now that my computer is back, my goal is not to let it steal all my time again. My time table is still a work in progress and it has a degree of flexibility as I like when plans change. Also, I have been finding lately, that a lot of my days turn out nothing like I could have planned, and I enjoy this.
I have tried to achieve similar goal to both of these before, but I am feeling good about this, and I am hoping that my putting my aspirations out in this (somewhat) public space will help me stick to them.

P.S. Sorry Chong I only got to 5, now 6. I didn't really try that hard.