I didn't exactly have the greatest start to the New Year. 2010, for me, started off with me being an emotional wreck, still unemployed, and of course, sleep-deprived/dehydrated (woo, Lindy Focus!). Not the best of times.

But now that I've had a couple of full nights of sleep, some water, and some rejuvenating time with friends, I've been busy. Submitting more job applications, getting things together, all sorts of fun. And, it turns out, I found the secret to feeling on top of the world! Here's a hint: get things done.

I spent the latter half of today in a magical organizing frenzy. I cleaned out my entire wardrobe, organized my email inbox and caught up on any remaining emails I had been meaning to send out, cooked a meal from things hanging around the pantry, got rid of any trash around the house, and took care of a side project I had been meaning to do for months now (sewing on buttons that had come off of clothes). Sure, I spent 6 hours doing it, but 11 buttons, 3 tupperware containers, and 7 bags of clothes later, I'm feeling fantastic. Accomplishment is probably the best thing to cure any doldrums you might be going through. PLUS, it turns out that I am now pretty dang good at threading small needles without a threader.

If you decide to attempt this rainy-day cure of getting things done, here are some tips:
1.) Start as early as you can in the day. Have your coffee, read some, then spend the afternoon getting all sorts of stuff done. Don't wait until 8PM, like me.
2.) Try not to stay up too late, or at least don't have any early appointments the following morning. What use is feeling like King/Queen of the world if it's overwhelmed by sleepiness? Don't stay up until 3AM when you have to be awake again at 9:30AM, like me.
3.) Try to stay focused on whatever it is you're trying to accomplish. Don't let yourself get distracted by cleaning the litterbox while you're in the middle of hanging up clothes, like me.
4.) You'll probably be the most productive if you have a solitary workspace so that it's just you (and maybe your music). Don't try and sew on buttons when your cat is deciding that against your arm is the best place to have a nap. Thankfully, I managed to avoid poking Beulah with a tiny needle, even though she wanted to be in every inconvenient place (because she's a cat, and that's what they do).

I hope that this helps any of you who also had a craptacular New Year (and I know you're out there). If nothing else, maybe it will help you get a start on your goals or resolutions. Happy 2010!