Reasonable Expectations

So lately I've been struggling with an important question - how easy or hard should I be on myself?

Now, to give this some context, I have spent a lifetime wherein assorted teachers, friends, trainers and others have told me that I'm too hard on myself.  It's a reasonable criticism, for the most part, as I'm not a big fan of letting myself off the hook.  My standards for success are pretty high, although I don't suspect that this sets me apart from most of the Type A overachievers I know.

Since I began this period of unemployment, however, I have allowed a lot of distractions in my world.  I haven't exactly spent my days at Disneyland.  It's been mostly cleaning, organizing, painting (a room, not artwork) and other manual labor - it is not, however, job searching.

I tell myself, "hey, it's only been a month and it's ok to enjoy some of the time off."  Others tell me, "don't worry, you have time for job searching.  You'll look back on this time glad to have enjoyed some of the opportunity to do whatever you want."  But there is a big difference between letting oneself enjoy and letting oneself off the hook, and I'm deathly afraid that I'll begin to enjoy the latter as much as the former.

I keep projecting forward to a more panicked time in my head, where I become more desperate for employment and I think to myself, why did I waste the early days on projects when I should have been searching for work?

So this is my pledge for the coming week.  Accomplish one significant and real task daily which puts me closer to my goal, and THEN allow for the distractions.  I'll be scheduling time into my calendar, as I would have any meeting in my past to make sure that I stay focused.  After all, priorities can only be named priorities when one prioritizes them.  (By the way, I believe my 8th grade English teacher just shuddered and doesn't know why.  Mrs. Cypers, it's because I used the same word thrice in a sentence.  I'll try not to do it often.) 

I know I can do it.  Wish me luck!