Give Yourself Time to Sit Down

My Nan (my mum's mum) would be on her feet all day and either was out getting shopping or in the kitchen cooking. She made an amazing Macaroni and Cheese, Cottage or Shepherd's pie, making baked goods and Christmas dinner was always delicious and this is from a once fussy child when it came to food. 

Now I see why my Nan was continuously on her feet. Looking after a home, being a parent, going to work and trying to be super active, I find it hard to sit down and chill. 

It is important though to sit down and be attentional. Enjoying a cup of tea on the sofa and not reading, not planning or writing just sitting down and take a tea break. Builders are famous for making sure they have a tea break because of the intensity of the work they have to do and so do we. 

Both of my Grandparents were busy women. My Dads mum had three and my mums mum had 5 children and I have her body clock. No matter what time I would go to bed I still wake up early and I have learned to embrace it rather than be an hindrance and my Nan would wake up at 6am every morning making sure she took her tablets. She would did later in life would go back to bed but most of the time she'd be on her feet and looking after us her grandchildren. She was a family orientated person. 

I admired her physicality because she didn't run, do weights she did housework, cooking and shopping. She was a bit of a gambler but she never smoked, drank and she'd had immaculate nails. 

When I think about her I think what have I got to worry about? She experienced war and rationing but nothing ever stopped her and why I make sure I clean, read, sit down and not rush around. In September I a going to challenge myself to do things in silence and write a blog without noise, drink a cup of coffee without being on my laptop, go to a coffee shop and not browse on my phone or journal as I saw a women do that. I wrote a blog about it: https://everyonecanbuildacastle.com/2026/08/10/taking-the-time-to-just-enjoy-your-coffee-inc-weekly-cheat-sheet/

It is good to sit. Now going to watch some football as I write this blog and enjoy my third cup of tea for today. 

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X 

Love having a physical Diary again

I have tried digital planners but I like to plan physically because for me it enters into my mind better and stores it and I think its a science. I would love to study the mind and find out if writing is better rather than digital? I wonder what results I'd find? 

It is good to get a pretty diary as for me it helps to use it. I no longer use Filofax and use a physical book type diary. I have a wall calendar and I have found it more functional for me and its seeing it in front of me making it easier to remember what is happening and its there in plain site. 

I have my sons terms dates near by so having it on a pinboard aswell as a diary more simple and a notebook and using paper. I recycle. I am still using Notion but have two lists and that's it and I get satisfaction ripping paper up. I use the Notebook APP but that is for any codes or things and brief notes and trying to use my phone less. 

In browsing on google I asked "Is writing things down better than typing them up all the time?"

The response was: Writing things down by hand is better for memory, learning, and conceptual understanding, but it is not necessarily better "all the time" depending on your goals. Neuroscience studies show that the physical act of handwriting activates broader, more synchronized electrical patterns (such as theta and alpha waves) across multiple regions of the brain—including motor, visual, and language circuits—which helps encode new information into long-term memory. Typing, by contrast, is faster and more efficient for capturing large volumes of text verbatim, but it engages fewer neural circuits and often leads to shallower, more passive cognitive processing.

I have used Google Calendar which I do need to alter and is good as its free and Notion is good but I find I am using it less and I like to use online tools for blogs and creating my books, but not all the time because too much screen isn't good. 

Yes google calendar I use but just reminders but I find it clogs up my email and with Notion it doesn't and it is free if you use it for personal use rather than business. 

So tell me do you prefer a physical diary still?

Please use the comments box below.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

My Favourite Thing Is Planning and Going Through my lists

I love it when it is time to plan for the following week. We are away next week and so it is time to plan for our trip. I am a bit worried because I have a Kidney Stone that isn't causing me pain but can, so not sure if  I will need surgery or not. 

It was sad to hear that someone I knew as a kid lost someone with cancer and its heart breaking and reminds you how life has to be lived. My lists and plans keep me going. 

I feel it is good set up and rather than having fear I look forward to my plans. It makes sure I don't forget what I am going to buy at the supermarket in terms of food. I do a list of things I need to buy and what I want to buy and packing list. I have one for next week when myself, husband and son go to the Isle of Wight and that we pack ready and going to use one suitcase for my son and my clothes and things and my husband will pack his stuff in a holdall and that we remember phones, chargers etc. 

I enjoy ticking things off. What can wait and to do instead and adding to the list and changing it on my mood and something else crops up.  

One of my friends used to write down the TV programmes she wanted to watch and when they were on using, before the internet, the TV times or radio times. I find it fulfilling and helps me manage my time and it empties out the mind and I think of in Harry Potter when Dumbledore, empties his thoughts and mind in a well and feel that what a list does. 

I have to have lists easy accessible by putting them on the wall, in a diary or notebook. 

It is just helps me function better and that everything is there that I want to get done and just keeps me sane and not going out thinking I've forgotten something or forgot to pick something up. 

Are you the same? Please a Comment Below. 

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X