I always thought I was. And for years, I beat myself up for it. Why self? Whyyyy? It takes me so long to do my work. To do chores. To fill up forms. To contact customer service. To learn a new skill.
When it takes too much time and I can’t see the results, I get really frustrated and give up.
I mostly do things until i really have to or until the last minute. Study. Homeworks. Projects. Things i do not like. Chores. Tasks. Errands. Dealing with obstacles.
But then for 3 days, I slept until 4am, not just to play games or watch tv which I usually do (no ragrets!) but to make desserts. Not just for me. But for other people.
Im starting to think I’m not that lazy after all. In fact, maybe no one actually is.
Aside from coffee, Charles cannot live without cobra – the energy drink. I’m not exaggerating. We lessened our drink orders from the next door cafe and started buying from 7-11 for budget purposes. What we didn’t expect is the amount of waste generated from almost daily consumption.
Here are a few photos. These don’t include the ones we’ve thrown away… I started collecting the empty bottles and stuffed it in a cabinet until such a time when I can find out where to properly dump them
I don’t know where to recycle these to make sure they just don’t get dumped on the landfill.
Thankfully, SM has this Trash to Cash event. It’s on the first Friday and Saturday of each month. Basically you give them your trash, and they will recycle them for you plus you’ll receive a small amount of money in doing so. 🙂
When The schedule is only every first Friday and Saturday of the month. 10am-2pm (as of April 2019)
If you miss it, you have to wait another month. We always had something to do until I said I’ll finally do it this April. We loaded these trash bags into the car. I bet the guard’s wondering why we’re hauling all this garbage.
The Process It’s the first time for me to participate in this. Someone will weigh your stuff and then pay you. That simple!
Total time spent is less than 5 minutes.
Inventory: # of cobra bottles – 114 # of other bottles (c2, milktea, coffee, etc) – 25
Total # of bottles = 139 These are just from just the two of us T___T
The photo I posted doesn’t show how much it really is. I’ve made an illustration to show the sheer number of bottles
That’s a LOT of plastic. These could have been just thrown out! *gulp Lately, we’ve been curbing his energy drink and my milk tea addiction. Less drinks instead of almost everyday.
Until we can find a proper recycling center for our plastic waste, this is the next practical solution for us.
If you have recyclable items lying around, maybe you can do the Trash and Cash event next time too! 🙂 It’ll be great if more people start doing this.
Hey you. Do you have a hard time doing things or accomplishing tasks?
Working on your project, learning how to play your favorite instrument, or reading a non-fiction book? Even the most mundane ones such as taking out the trash, putting your newly washed clothes back in your closet or even showering?
Do you put off important chores and regret it but on the next day, you still don’t do them and the cycle continues?
How much more willpower do you use just to get yourself off of bed, go to work or step out of your house to meet friends?
If you answered yes or very much to all my questions or if you’re a procrastinator, you might wanna read on.
My previous solution was to compose a to-do list. I composed these lists thoughtfully and wrote it down everywhere
Planner Post its Whiteboard Mobile app Notes in pc or mobile
It didn’t help me that much. Sure, writing it seemed fun but i never get around to finishing those tasks or even starting them.
For years, i have those starbucks planners, then a Tomntom coffee’s and also a Sterling from SM department. The notebook size is getting smaller haha
The earlier months have notes/plans. On the later months, I get lazy.
My solution
After a while scouring the web for self help on topics regarding procrastination and motivation boosters, I came across an article that offered these simple but brilliant suggestions. (I forgot which one huhu i wish i could like it a thousand times)
It’s time for me to pick a new work bag. My previous one is too big for my laptop. I’ll be listing the key points I’ve gone through during my canvas in case anyone else or future me needs to refer to it.
Types:
Backpack – if you want a handsfree travel.
Shoulder bag – more professional look (totes, satchels, messenger bags, etc)
Brief case – most professional look and most obvious if you’re bringing your laptop. Only totally safe to use if you have your own ride or ride taxis.
Material:
Leather Canvas Nylon – lightest
Closure:
Drawstring / Cinch Zipper Magnet
Color:
Pick a neutral color – if you dont want to get tired looking at it everyday – if you want it to match with most outfits
Or pick a bright color if you want it to stand out. It’s your choice 🙂
Important parts to consider
– will it fit all your things?
Different people have different needs.
Bring your laptop, ipad or whatever bigger stuff you need to use everyday for work to help you determine the right size.
– is it easy to get things out and in?
As i encountered, this is quite vital since you’ll be using it everyday. Everywhere.
– does it have a good weight distribution? Your bag can actually feel lighter when it does. Its for portability purposes and it’ll be kinder to your back.
– do you need it to be water resistant?
– is the bag’s weight when empty already heavy?
Leather bags tend to be a bit on the heavier side even when empty.
– does it have enough compartments? Less digging inside to find just 1 thing.
– do you need a water bottle compartment?
Tip: Go to a store. Try wearing it and see yourself on a mirror. Sometimes bags are too bulky or small for your frame, which ends up in either making you look comical or overburdened.
What brand of bag:
Here are a few brands I’ve come across that caught my eye. They make bags that looks sleek and clean with minimal logo designs. I prefer those kinds since glaring logos make me feel like a walking advertisement for the company. If you have similar taste like me, you might want to check these out: – Herschel, Mipack, Caselogic, Agva (my current one) – Samsonite Red, Fossil, Tumi, Knomo – Carl Fredericksen, Mansur Gavriel, Linjer
How I picked mine:
I’m a backpack kind of person.
Previous:
Type: backpack
Material: Canvas
Closure: Cinch
Color: Neutral
Compartment: laptop and 2 front pouches
Usage: Less than a year
Let me just say the positives first.
I love the classic design. It fits in everywhere – looks professional enough in my work setting, looks good for everyday wear and travel too.
The material is lightweight and due to the dark color, it doesn’t easily get dirty.
My biggest gripe is that the bag is too deep. My laptop is only a 13″ and this one fits 15-17″ inches. I have to dig things out of the backpack when Im looking for something. The inside of the bag looks dark, even when the lining is red and white, due to its narrow opening which is only from the top. The bucket bag worked against me in this case.
Current:
Type: backpack
Material: Canvas
Closure: zipper and magnet
Color: Neutral
Compartments: laptop, 2 sides, 1 front lower pouch, 1 front compartment
Review after a couple of days:
The design is a classic with brass elements. I love it! It’s a lot smaller than my previous one. The size is fit just for a 13 inch laptop but it can still fit water tumbler. It easier to get things out now. The numerous compartments help as well to reach for things easier and keep your bag more organized.
I love that the outside pockets are all in magnetic locks too. Tissues, keys, brush, and medkit are more accessible now. The lining inside is black but since the height of the bag isn’t too deep, you can still see the bottom.
Overall, I love this bag. Hopefully it’ll last until next year 🙂
It’s 2019!!! A new year and a chance to better oneself 🙂 I’m continuing my journey of becoming more sustainable one small step at a time. Due to the mounds of trash accumulating on landfills and oceans, everyone is encouraged to do the same. Let us give a little thought onto our environment. We can do it!
Skip that plastic cup or a paper cup coated with plastic for your go-to drink. Use your reusable tumbler. Try to stop buying bottled water and bring your own bottle. You’ll save money too
Sadly, hardly anything gets recycled in our country (ph) so this method is advised. So let’s get to it then. Here are the many aspects of a reusable liquid container.
Material
Plastic – traps odors Stainless Steel – almost odor resistant
Glass – odor resistant
Open access
One button press Twist bottle type Straw
Feature
Insulated – maintains temperature Regular
Weight
Insulated stainless steel and glass ones are way heavier than the plastics
Size
Or 266ml, 475ml, 710ml, 1.7l Or Short, grande, venti iced, and coke liter
What’s on the market?
Insulated Corkcicle, Swell, Stanley, Klean Kanteen, Hydroflask, Tiger, Yeti and more
Plastics Nalgene, Camelbak, Home Gallery, and tons of other brands
How to determine what you need:
Size of bag
Backpacks & Spacey bags – up to 25oz/700ml
Handbags (photo of my mom’s bags) – pick a small one – 16oz or 9oz/266ml or something even smaller My mom chose 9oz so it’ll fit in most of her handbags.
Willingness to carry the extra weight
– plastic vs metal
Storage
Stuff it in bag – spill-proof canteen or bottle Place in car or table – cup or tumbler
Style
Aesthetics is important. Choose a design you love so that you’ll like looking at it and you’ll bring it everywhere
My choice:
Look how sleek they look. I’m in lurrve 😍
Outdoors, Gym Corkcicle Canteen 16oz -wont spill. Cold water readily available until the end of a day
Daily use, Take out drinks Corkcicle tumbler 16oz – easier to drink, pop in a straw or drink right from the lid – still keeps the temperature for a little while
Malls, errands, travel Plastic flask – lightweight and smaller size for portability
Previous choice: Nalgene 600ml bottleThis has been with me for so long. So sulit ang 600php. It was so easy to use but the design wasn’t sophisticated and plastics are harder to clean when I pour something other than plain water. So it’s time to be replaced
Challenge
I’ll be honest. Lugging around a water bottle is a hassle. It takes up bag space and the weight is noticeable.
Washing it everyday is tiring too but I got used to it in a while
Oh and there are days when I forget to bring these.
Review
For durability, I can attest to Nalgene. I dropped mine from the second story onto the ground and even if it was just made out of plastic, it didn’t crack at all! Jawdrop. 10/10
For maintaining temperature, corkcicle canteen is amaaazing. Even after 10 hours, there’s till ice in my water. If you want to drink right from it, I advise you to use the canteen for cold drinks. For hot liquids, it does its job too well. So a boiling water will still be really hot even after a couple of hours.
For to-go drinks, it might be more fitting for you to get a reusable cup.
Note: I’m not asking you to buy if you already have one. This is just a little guide if you decide to do so.
Place all important documents in one place so you can just pull it out of your bookshelf and go.
Applying for a job, visa application, credit card and bank applications, insurance claims and government agencies registration goes a lot smoother by having your requirements ready and in one place.
By doing so, you save time going to a photocopier or taking multiple trips in procuring the documents.
Materials:
Clear book legal
Plastic Envelope legal
Box
Make sure you purchase the legal size / long bond paper size. Most official documents are in legal form.
Important documents
birth certificate
valid ID photocopy
passport photocopy
ITR
certificate of employment, previous and current
TOR for graduates
government agencies registration forms (sss, philhealth, pagibig)
contracts
blank bond papers
Insert all your important documents in the clear book. Personally, I chose the color red to attract attention, making it easier to spot the moment I need it.
Blank bond papers are for writing authorization letters.
Medical history
prescriptions
lab reports
annual checkup results
x-rays
hospitalization documents
Since medical history on local hospitals and clinics are almost neglected in my city, I think it’s safe to collate these in one big envelope. In case you might need it for reference in the future.
Bills
electricity
telecoms
credit card
insurance
Bills consist the bulk of my paper waste. I can mostly look the info up on past months online so there’s not much need to store all of them.
Keep only the last and current month. Just in case you need it for proof of billing. I’m not sure if this’ll work for you though. If you want to be safer, keep bills for the current year might be enough.
Receipts
Take them out of your wallet. They’re unsightly and make your wallet appear bulky. You get tricked into thinking you still have a bundle of cash and you go shopping. Then you realized it were wrong. Or it just me?
Sort according to these categories. Since I have lots of electronics, I break them down into subcategories
Keep these for warranties
Electronics
– desktop computer and accessories
– laptop and accessories
– mobile phone and accessories
– console and accessories
Appliances & Furnitures
Throw these away
Shopping (after a month, in case of exchanges)
Food
Then stuff everything above in one container on an accessible place. Somewhere that doesn’t obstruct your view but you can still always see it daily. I placed this box near my room’s door.
For other special receipts that needs to be kept indefinitely, place them in the clear book.
Government: SSS, philhealth, pag-ibig
Insurance
Used Envelopes
If you want to keep them, gather 5 – 10 envelopes and store these near your writing desks.
I use these as a container for paying my bills or my mom haha
Credits:
Some of these tips are from Kon-Mari method. Go ahead and pick her book up. It’s life-changing 🙂 I still have a long way to go to be organized but at least my papers are a little bit are. 😁
Was this helpful? Do you have your own methods? I’d love to hear it. 🙂
Plastic Toothbrushes, the ones that we use aren’t sustainable at all. While it is recyclable, most recycling centers don’t accept them. Frankly, these just get thrown in the trash. Read up more here. Every plastic toothbrush ever created still exists since their invention in the 1930’s. No way! We should stop contributing to that pile and make a switch.
Photo from minka
5. Eco-friendly toothbrushes
Level of difficulty: very easy (0 out of 5 )
These are nowhere to be found in groceries. So finally I ordered them online. About timeeee!
Material:
Bamboo – less porous than wood, anti-bacterial properties
Photo from carousell
Review:
The one I’ve tested is Minka toothbrush. The bristles are very soft ++. However, the brush head is a little wide for my tiny mouth, I kept hitting my chubby cheeks so it was a bit uncomfortable to use.
Challenge:
The brush body takes a while to dry. For travels, using it then stuffing it back to your toiletry bag might not be ideal. Air dry or wipe it with a towel before storing it.
Photo from carousell
A step further:
The ones I have are bamboo toothbrushes with nylon bristles. While bamboo is biodegradable, nylon isn’t. Next step would be to find one that uses boar bristles or any other natural material.
Do you usually have your food delivered, buy em as take-outs or drive thrus? I do.
You usually get a pair of spoon and fork to go, right? After using, this goes to the trash. What a waste! Then sadly to the ocean soon. Nooo! So I’m changing my habits slowly.
For months, I’ve been using steel straws and so far the results are a success.🎉 Now I’m ready to move on to reusable cutlery.
Last mid-September, I ordered a couple of sets for my boyfriend and I. My friends wanted in as well. Yey! This purchase made me so happy 😄 (mubo kalipay haha)
Deliberation:
I realize beforehand that this won’t be easy breezy. At first, I wanted to get just a spork or a fpoon (key and peele 😂) so that I only need to wash one. Laziness showing haha. But after some thought, we usually need both spoon and fork to eat at ease (i.e. chicken at jollibee)
Materials:
Here are the materials of reusable cutlery available on the market.
Bamboo – lightweight, somewhat durable (up to 3 years with proper maintenance)
Stainless Steel – bit heavy, durable (lasts a lifetime), easiest to clean
Plastic – lightest, breaks easily, absorbs flavors 😨
Don’t reuse plastic spoon and forks from takeouts. These are designed to be single use and will break down after a couple of washes. Chemicals will leak into your food.
Before everything, I did just that but yikes! It’s not advisable at all.
My choice:
Bamboo
This is the best option for my purpose cause I need to stuff it into my bag and bring it everywhere. It’s less porous and like all wood, has anti-bacterial properties as well.
I got mine from sip.ph. It contains spoon, fork, knife and chopsticks wrapped in a canvas.
Usage:
Spoon and Fork, occasionally knife – meals
Chopsticks – For noodles, french fries and other finger foods. Especially when watching movies or working on my laptop when I don’t want my hands to have flavor powder (potato corner or cheetos fingers) or be oily.
Challenge:
Wash right after use. It requires a bit more effort to wash these than my straws.
After washing, you need to air it out completely dry before storing.
Stats:
All right. Tally time! *drumrolls please…………… Here’s how many Charles and I used in about a month and a half. Look at this illustration for perspective made by charles teng :3
Daghana diay. That’s 21 less spoons and forks to be thrown in the trash! Yosh!
I’m not done yet, for the chopsticks, total used is 14.
Overall, I deem this a short success! 🙂
Review: After a month usage, the bamboo utensils are still holding up plus I get compliments on my black straws ❤
As for the container, my canvas burrito is the best! 🙂
The colors white and bluegreen stands out so it catches my eye every time and I don’t forget to bring it as often as I did before yey.
That’s it! Thanks for reading all the way. See you in step 4!
Skip that plastic cup or a paper cup coated with plastic for your go-to drink. Use your reusable tumbler.
Or
Backpacks & Spacey bags
Handbags (photo of my mom’s bags)
Malls, errands, travel
This has been with me for so long. So sulit ang 600php. It was so easy to use but the design wasn’t sophisticated and plastics are harder to clean when I pour something other than plain water. So it’s time to be replaced
Thoughts and Scribbles of Shichan 