Goal 4 - Back on Track

After what felt like forever I was able to go running this morining (don't tell the doctor, I was supposed to wait a few more days). A quick 27 minute 5K.

My comfort zone right now is about 8 miles per hour. Any faster than that zaps my energy pretty quick. I'd like to get up to 10 on these shorter runs by the time my real training schedule begins. I figure if I do that I can maintain a good pace for longer runs.

I may have mentioned this before, maybe not. At this point I only ever want to run 1 marathon in my life. I want to use this as an intense training and conditioning program to get me ready for other events. For example.....

Trail Running

Triathlon

Goal 3 - Laundry/Mud Room

I've been meaning to post these pictures for a while now. They are of the current state of our Laundry/Mud room. As I said before we have adjusted the layout a few times and it is still a work in progress. This is how Continuous Home Improvement works.

This is the best shot I could get of the entire room. The shelf may look cluttered from this view but it's actually pretty well organized. Notice the placement of the big blue liquid detergent container directly above the washer. It took 4 seconds to fill the measuring cup to the line. Now it's just 4 seconds directly in the wash. No need for the cup. Process simplified.


Keeping the shelf organized is managed by sectioning off areas for each function. This is an easy way to avoid putting things where they don't belong. I used Automotive pin striping tape from NAPA. for the area labels I used giant Popsicle sticks which I taped to the bottom of the shelf. You can take this to whatever level of organization you want. If it helps you stay organized to tape of an area for each individual item, do it!

We decided to move the clothes hampers under the folding table. This makes it easier to load the washer and also frees up floorspace in the middle of the room. Because my wife and I are both right handed this layout would have been better if the washer and dryer were on the opposite wall but this is a constraint we have to deal with.

These next pictures demonstrate how you should avoid spending allot of time and money on organization strategies until you have been through a few variations of your layout and know what is going to work for you. Then you can spend the $$$ to make it look nice.

We attached a shoebox to the wall for collecting lint balls and dryer sheets.A sheet rock screw works great as a hook for brooms, mops and ironing boards. See the first picture for more detail. Here is our interim solution for the shoe pile. An old laundry basket with a broken handle. We also have our collection location for recyclables and purse and back pack storage spot.

Always keep in mind that this should be a gradual process. If you finalize things right off, chances are you won't be satisfied with your space and end up making changes anyway. More $ and headache!

Goals 1,2,3 & 4 - M.I.A.

This last week has been an interesting one. I haven’t really felt like writing. I love writing so that’s an indication of how things have gone.

Last Saturday I did my first 5 mile run. It took me 48 minutes (2 minutes quicker than my goal). I felt great. I haven’t run since. On Sunday the surgery site on my left side became really tender and painful. It was getting red and swollen. Long story short…. I didn’t do my Monday morning run which made me groggy and grumpy. Withdrawal ? I was able to get in to see the doctor on Tuesday . He reprimanded me for running and said it had caused some damage. His assistant removed the stitches , put on some tape to keep things together and told me to not run for 2 weeks. 2 weeks?

It’s strange how when one area of life is out of balance other areas get shaken up as well. I forgot that students can get free 2 day shipping from Amazon. I’ve been waiting for my textbooks for weeks. I haven’t designed anything or done any improvement projects that are really worthy to share here. A bit of a rut I guess.

I was able to go to the other anthropology class. I could tell it was going to be a better match before the instructor said a word. She had some aboriginal music playing as students filed in. She has a very flexible and dynamic teaching style and I was able to keep my ADD mind focused the entire 2 hours and 45 minutes.

I’m slowly recovering from the funk and hope to be back to myself for the weekend. My wife deserves her real husband back. And I’ll get back on track with things here and maybe respond to a few of your comments.

Oh, I almost forgot. Even though this blog is mostly for myself I want it to be interesting to whoever decides to tune in. Is it boring? Anything specific I should write about? What else? I’ve already been asked to post more pictures of things I write about which I promise to do.

Thanks

Goal 2 - !@#%&*

I’ve been to each of my classes twice now and it has been an interesting experience.

Tuesday 12:50: Time for my Anthropology class and I'm excited and ready to go. I find the awkward and nasty room in the basement of a building I’ve never been in. The instructor shows up and things get off to a really strange start. He seems to be nervous or have anxiety issues; I’m not sure which one. The first half of class he uses transparencies of screen shots to show us how to log on to the course website and get assignment information. Then he talked about the syllabus and we did a few practice assignments. He lectured for about 10 minutes and class was over. I didn’t know what to think. The guy seems nice enough but his teaching style is polar opposite of my learning style.

15 minutes to get to my next class. It’s in another basement room but this time in a building I am very familiar with, the Technology Building. All of my Architecture classes and most of my other classes have been in this building.

The instructor shows up a little late and for the first 10 minutes I was sure he was intoxicated. Then I realized he was just extremely eccentric. He forgot the syllabus and his lesson plan. He spent the class telling stories and goofing off. The 18 year olds in the class loved it. Me not so much. I’m spending my time and money and I want to learn something. He also lectured for a few minutes at the end but it didn’t seem to go anywhere.

I left for the day feeling extremely frustrated and disappointed. When I got home my wife asked why I was so grumpy and I told her. She suggested it would change; the first day of class is always crazy.

Anthropology class was the same on Thursday. Exactly the same! He reviewed the course website and syllabus and lectured on the same things plus a little bit more. Déjà vu? I WILL die in this class!

American Civilization went a lot better this time. The instructor showed up a minute late again and goofed off a little but then he got to business. He read an Egyptian Folklore story and related it to several events throughout history and recent events as well. He is definitely a very strange dude but I’m looking forward to his class now.

Now I’m only 50% frustrated with school. After class I decided to see if there were any other Anthropology sections open that would work for me. There is one on Tuesday nights from 5:30 to 8:15 but it is at a different campus. Definitely pros and cons. I won’t see my kids at all on Tuesdays and by the time I get home I’ll see my wife for about an hour and a half. I will be able to work longer on Tues and Thurs so I won’t have to make up as many hours at work on Mon, Wed and Fri. And I won’t go crazy. The instructor for this other section isn’t on ratemyprofessor.com so I’m hesitant to pull the trigger right away. I’ll go to both classes on Tuesday and see how it goes.

Sorry for the never ending post. I needed to rant.

Goal 4 - Countdown to Destruction

A couple days ago I put together my marathon training schedule. I based it on a couple different training schedules I found online. I’ve included the following

Current Date
Countdown to Race
Distance Goal
Distance Actual
Time Goal
Time Actual
Minute Mile

I may also add information about weight, blood pressure, heartrate, caloric intake….. We’ll see.

I will be running on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and have my long runs on Saturdays.
Today my goal was to run a 35 minute 4 mile. I beat that by 1 minute! I have a long way to go before I’m ready to go for the 26.2 mile run but 4 miles felt great. I think I’m going to be able to bounce back from this surgery a lot quicker than I had hoped. I have a 3 mile run tomorrow and a 5 mile on Saturday. That will be the longest run I’ve done in years!

Goal 2 - Back to School

Today is the first day of class for me. I have 2 classes this semester, one that I’m looking forward to and another that I’m really excited about. The first is “American Civilization”, I enjoy learning about history so It should be interesting. The second class is “Culture and the Human Experience”. Like I’ve said before, I’m fascinated by learning about people and the way they live so this cultural anthropology class fits right into my plan.

I’ve told you about the Interdisciplinary Studies program I’m creating. Well….that’s a few semesters away. About 7 years ago I became extremely frustrated with MATH 1050. I took the same class in High School! Something about taking a 2 year break from school completely erased anything I knew about college algebra. It took me two tries to pass with a D-! After that experience I decided I had had enough with math and checked out of the AS in Architectural Studies program and into the AAS in Architectural CAD and Computer Graphics. There’s a reason it’s called Associates of APPLIED Science. No generals and I loved it. I learned a ton about architectural design, drafting and graphic design. No more math or humanities courses! I went through that program and started designing homes.

I worked for an architect designing “custom” homes. Most of them were high end spec homes or homes that we would design and build up to the point when a buyer came along and made minor design changes before the home was finished. We also had the clients who wanted to start from scratch. I loved the opportunity to meet with people and bring their ideas and needs together in the form of a truly custom design. . I learned a lot from the architect, good and bad. He had an eye for detail and scale. I he taught me to design in the 4th dimension, time. How each space would actually be used. The problem was it was HIS 4th dimension. He tended to consider how HE would use the space and how he would want things to come together. It was about a year into my time there that I started to seriously question what we were doing. We were designing for ourselves. I brought this up in a few meetings and it didn’t go over well. A funny thing started to happen. I was given less and less new work and spent about a year making small changes and tweaks to stock plans and doing parking lot layouts. For that and other reasons I decided it was time for me to move on.

I got sidetracked. But this experience was very important to my education. It began defining what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and planted a seed of dissatisfaction for the education I had received so far.
Which brings me to where I am today. Pushing 30 years old and going to school with kids a decade younger than I am. In a way I guess it’s sad for me but I don’t really see it that way. I’m ready for it this time. My drive and motivation are completely different and I know what I want to achieve with this education.

So yes, the classes I'm taking this semester are 1000 level classes to fill Gen. Ed. requirements. And yes, at 6-9 credits each semester this is going to take a while (I'll probably be 34 when I finish). But as far as education, I've never stopped learning and don't plan to once I get that piece of paper that means so much to so many people.

Goals 1 & 3 - Control Center

Since we moved in our family computer has been right next to our dining room table. It’s a small desk and doesn’t take up a ton of space but it is an eyesore. No matter how clean the desk and the rest of the room are the space still feels cluttered. So move it right? Do we put it in the living room? Not really a good spot for it there. In the bedroom? This breaks about 20 zen and feng shui rules. In the laundry room? That’s a stupid place for a computer! Is it really? It’s actually perfect.

Last week I told you about the evolution of our laundry room. And now, ladies and gentlemen, I will unveil plans and ideas for the future!

Like most people in this part of the world, we never use our front door. The only time it ever opens is when someone comes to visit. Other than that we leave and come in through the garage. We pass through our mud room/laundry room at least a time or two a day. Because of this it is the perfect location for the “control center” of our house. We come into the house through the garage and there are certain things that have no reason making it past this point because they will never be used in the house. For example…

Most of our mail is either bills or junk mail coupons. With online bill payment we can either pay them right away or put them next to the computer to pay when we get a chance. All the junk mail coupons can be sorted through and thrown in the recycling bin or put somewhere we might actually see them when we leave the house.

I have been designing a computer desk for this new space that will help with organization and cut down on clutter. We will still use our current desk for the time being so we can work out the kinks and determine whether or not my new design is really what we need. We will have to get a wireless internet router to transfer service to the laundry room. This is a two-fer because I also get service upstairs in my design office. No more transferring plans to a USB drive so I can email them from our family computer!!!

There are many other reasons this is a perfect arrangement. Stay tuned.

Goal 4 - FINISH "Top of Utah Marathon"

This is the goal that I surprised myself with. I have been thinking about running a big race for a few years and telling myself I was going to do it. TALK IS CHEAP! As I started to put this blog together I had a list of about 10 goals. I wanted a good 3-4 to write about. I had eliminated this goal from the list because it didn’t have much to do with my other goals and seemed like putting maple syrup on a hamburger. At the last minute on impulse I added it to the list. I’m really glad I did.

Why a marathon?

I’ve always been really active, but never much of a runner. Most of my running career has consisted of 90 minutes of jogging and wind sprints while playing soccer. I decided it’s the perfect way to get me to accomplish a lot of “sub-goals” that I have like eating healthier. For years I have done a good job of cutting out the junk from my diet. The problem is I haven’t been eating enough of the healthy stuff. Marathon training programs suggest adding 100 calories for every mile you run (I better check that it seems like a lot). I also have a lot of friends and relatives who run marathons. Some are way busier than me and somehow find a way to fit training in their schedules.

There are a few reasons I’ve chosen this particular race. A friend of mine ran this race last year and loved it. He has been talking to me about marathons and different training methods for several months. I’m really not a fan of running in the city so those races are out. The course starts at Hardware Ranch Elk Refuge, and travels down Blacksmith Fork Canyon and on into downtown Logan. The course drops approximately 1045 ft. over the 26 miles but is only a 1% to 2% grade and won't beat up your legs. It is a perfect downhill running course. I love the mountains! Also, the race is on September 17th which corresponds perfectly with my school schedule. I can do most of my big runs between spring and fall semesters. I will start fall semester a few weeks before the race which corresponds perfectly with my rest and recovery program.

Currently I am running 5K @ 28 Minutes 4 times a week. I was planning on working up to 10K 3 times a week by over the next month but yesterday I had a minor medical procedure done that will slow my progress a bit.

My main motivation behind this goal is I want to be at my physical best for my 30th birthday.

Goal 3 - Continuous Home Improvement

When you hear the words Home Improvement you most likely think of things like fixing a leaky faucet or installing a new light fixture. And you’re right.

Continuous Home Improvement is a little different. I’m not sure anybody has actually used the term before. I derived it from the manufacturing and management methodology for eliminating process waste and refining processes. Continuous Improvement is composed of many systems and tools like Lean and Six Sigma. For now I’ll keep definitions simple and describe it as “Making your life easier every day”.

Case Study:
We moved into our brand new house about 11 months ago. It has taken a while to work out some of the kinks of where things should go. Our laundry room is a perfect example. The diagram below shows the evolution.





A-This is how we had our laundry room laid out when we first moved in. Washer to the left of the dryer (this was a mistake by the builder, the hookups were backward and we went with it). We had the monster pile of clothes on the floor that grew and grew. We brought dirty clothes in baskets but as soon as the baskets were needed again the clothes went on the floor.

B- I think we made these changes after being in the house for about 3 months. We found these laundry hampers at IKEA for $5.

www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70118968

They are the perfect size for a load of laundry in our washing machine. When the clothes reach the top we know it’s time to do a load (this is a type of Kanban, I’ll explain later). Separate hampers for whites, lights and darks. We also swapped the locations of the washer and dryer making the process flow better in preparation for….

C- I made a mistake on the drawing. We didn't swap around the washer and dryer again. We installed a folding counter next to the dryer. Our laundry and cleaning supplies were in a jumble on the shelf above the machines. We sorted through what we had, got rid of anything we didn't need, organized things in the best location for their use and taped lines and made labels marking off the areas where things go (an example of 5-S, again…this is for later). So far the shelf organization has been sustained very well. We also moved the hampers over against the wall opposite the machines. Not sure this was a great idea but it made space to hang our mop, broom and ironing board which had been leaned up in a corner creating havoc. One of the improvement projects I did over the summer was not sustainable so we now have a pile of shoes to deal with. This is an interesting case study of the importance of 4th dimensional thinking. I’ll save it for another post.

Our laundry process is far from perfect, but it’s getting better. And that is what Continuous Home Improvement is all about. I have several improvement ideas to continue making this room more organized and efficient. It’s important to take time after an improvement has been made to observe what is going on. Find out if the changes made have really made things better or if it was just a change.

Goal 2 - Excell in MEANINGFUL Education

What do I mean when I say meaningful?

Going through the Architectural program at Salt Lake Community College and preparing to transfer to the University of Utah, School of Architecture my aspirations to become a renowned architect changed as I came to the realization that architecture is not about the architect. It’s about the person/people who will use the designed environment and how they will use it. As I started to focus more on the people and less on my own desires for expression I found my creativity was raised to a higher level.

I decided I wanted to focus my education and career on (what are in my mind) the most important structures in the world. Homes!

I am fascinated by people and the way they live. In many cultures life is very simple. These people live in homes that are simple and elegant. They have what they need and don’t clutter their lives with excess. They live long, healthy and happy lives. In contrast, other cultures (including our own) have the attitude that more is always more. Looking for a new or existing home these people tend to focus on quantitative (Square Feet, # of Bedrooms, # of Bathrooms….) rather than qualitative (Functionality, details, human scale…) measures.

I became very dissatisfied with the curriculum of the program I was in and had planned to pursue. While it offered a great background in the technical aspects of construction and design I feel it lacked the human element of architecture. I’ve also become disillusioned by the egotistic nature of many professors and students. All the projects ended up looking the same in order to please the review board of “Design Gods” with thick rimmed glasses and stainless steel coffee mugs held at 90° so everyone could see how cool they are.

Yes, this is a generalization. Over the years I have had the opportunity to associate with several architects and designers. Once they get out of school most end up being pretty cool people. I’ve learned a lot from them about design, construction materials and methods, and things you should never ever do. While they have incredible talent in design, most have horrible business management skills. I am amazed that some of these firms have been around as long as they have. A complete disaster!

I didn’t want this to be me. I enrolled in the distance education program for Business Management through Utah State. While many of the courses are vital for what I want to accomplish most of the curriculum didn’t fit my complex puzzle. It didn’t take long before I was just as dissatisfied with this program. And the people…. a whole new species of ego that I will never understand.

Long story short, I met with an academic advisor at USU to vent my frustrations and concerns. The education provided by these programs was not MEANINGFUL to me. He suggested I look into working with him to create a program in Interdisciplinary Studies. Perfect Fit! I am able to combine courses in Design, Social Sciences and Business to create a degree that provides me with the specialized education I need for what I want to do. I’ll explain more about what exactly that is in a future post.

Goal 1 - Design Something Every Day

Next in line to my wife and kids is my passion for design. For as long as I can remember I have been designing. I would guess I was 6 or 7 the first time I measured every wall of my childhood home and drew up the floor plans. When we built forts in the field behind our house, I was the strange kid who insisted that we had to add a window or porch.

You are going to hear mostly about home design. All other types of design I will talk about are things I have become passionate about through designing homes. Graphic design, logo design, product design, furniture / woodwork design to name a few.
There is a strong correlation between this goal and my goal “Continuous Home Improvement”. Many of the improvements I’m planning on making will require design so some of posts will combine these goals.

Happy New Year!

Every year on January 1st millions of people set resolutions for the coming 365 (or 366) days. Most people give up after a few months of "Going to the gym 5 times a week", "Having a better attitude at work" or "Learning how to speak Cantonese"

52% of people who set New Year's Resolutions are even confident they will achieve them and a whopping 12% actually acomplish them. Why?.... They fail to tie their resolutions to a measureable results and lay out a plan of action.

If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about I really don't. I've just been reading alot about setting and achieving goals. I've found that for me (every person is different) the best ways to achieve a goal are

1. Tell as many people about it as I can.
2. Check in with myself every day to see how I'm doing.

This is why I'm starting this blog. To tell as many people as I can about things I'm going to accomplish in 2011. By the end of the year I may have a few followers but that's not the important thing. I really believe this is what I need to make these things happen.

Confession: Where did I get this idea? I watched a chick flick with the wife.

About a week ago she rented "Julie and Julia" from the redbox. Blek I thought. But I get to spend some time with the wife and next movie choice is mine! It was actually pretty good. The girl Julie starts blogging about cooking all the recipies in a Julia Childs cookbook over the course of a year. Go rent it. I promise you won't loose your balls.

My 4 Goals

1. Design something every day
2. Excell in meaningful education
3. Continuous home improvement
4. Finish "Top of Utah Marathon"

I will explain more about each goal as I go. I can't promise to post something every day but I will as often as I can. I'm new to the Blog world so I need to figure things out. My wife is a pro so I'll have her show me how to put some of those widget things on that keep stats. If you decide to follow me, thanks. If not, go rent "Julie and Julia"