Monday, January 2, 2012

New Year's resolution


To take care of things more promptly. I am usually pretty good about getting things done eventually, but procrastination is a problem for me. These are the things that get to me:
  • The three serving items (from a wedding that was months ago) that belong to other people that are still in the trunk of my car waiting to be returned. This is something that can be taken care of in less than 30 minutes and only involves me driving the items over to their rightful homes so you might think maybe it doesn't belong on a resolution list, but there are so many things just like this in my life - recycling the giant pile of newspapers by the front door, putting away the last few random items from a trip to the store, taking the books back to the library on time. The list could really go on forever. Why do I not do these things immediately instead of adding them to the list of Things I Have To Remember?
  • The confusing, cluttery pile that is my desk. I am going to clear it off once a week instead of once every two weeks. I am going to do this every Monday morning because I am usually home and otherwise unoccupied on Monday mornings. The thing about my desk is that I put stuff there that has to be dealt with. Things that need to be filed, or shredded, or paid, or resolved in some way. Sometimes I don't know what to do with an item and it will sit there for weeks or maybe months. And walking by the messy desk, as I do multiple times every day, and seeing it and knowing that all that awaits me adds to my anxiety.
  • Mending and other kinds of repairs. Clothing, closet doors, holes in walls, loose screws, etc. Since I'm already baring my soul in this post I will tell you two of them - a pile of mending that has been sitting on my bathroom counter for over a month. It might have even been there for two months. And the door to the laundry closet that only needs to be glued, clamped and allowed to dry. The actual repair time would take ten minutes. It could dry overnight, and then I could have the door back on my laundry closet the next day instead of propped against the wall in the upstairs hallway which is where it's been for the better part of an entire year. Why do I make myself learn to work around these things instead of just fixing them? It's beyond ridiculous.
  • Correspondence. I love sending cards and letters to people and it's only because I don't take the time to sit down and do it that I don't do it more often. I have in my possession all the beautiful cards and letters (and the envelopes they came in so I have the right addresses!) that people who care about me and my family sent to us for Christmas. I am going to write each of them a note or letter expressing my love and appreciation for them. I will work through the whole stack by January 31. I will spend time on Sunday mornings doing this, and also whenever I remember to work on it during the week. I am going today to buy stamps for this project.

I think getting a grip on this will help me make my life easier, happier, and more pleasant. It has to, right? Living a life where things are taken care of, put away, uncluttered, and in good repair and where free time is actually free instead of filled with anxiety about all the unfinished tasks? It sounds blissful to me.

3 comments:

  1. Here's some motivation to avoid procrastination.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cw8I8eukaI&sns=fb

    Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry it's not a link...cut and paste will work.

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  3. You are not the only one with a limbo pile for a desk. I was working on cleaning it off the other day. It's covered with coupons too good to throw away, important calendars and notes from different activities to be entered in my planner, multiple to do lists that need to be condensed, stuff to file in my file cabinet, that really yummy recipe I got from a friend but haven't stuck in my cookbook, the instructions for a digital photo frame I got for Christmas, a boy's tie that needs repair... etc etc. Oh, and a note to self that says, BLOG! You are a good example, and I am a horrid follower...

    ReplyDelete