Lists. She's making a list, checking it twice....
I realized what a list maker I have always been when I watched my eldest daughter compiling her lists for Thanksgiving dinner. I do it all the time. She inherited that? Yes, yes she did.
I use my planner for lists. I "plan" all the tasks I should get taken care of for the week, and check them off as they are accomplished and then frown and nag at myself for not accomplishing all things listed on it!
My lists have gone unfinished for quite some time now. To quote my youngest daughter, "This year has been a sh** show." Nothing has quite gone the way we wanted/expected it to. Lists are only part of it.
Last week I had an epiphany about lists. What if I quit treating them like responsibilities and started treating them like possibilities?
I looked at my planner, at these things I thought I had to do. But as I looked at it further, I realized I was the only one putting pressure on myself. And why????
So I tried something different.
Today I will perhaps:
- Do laundry
- Finish gift wrapping
- Clean my room
- Unload my car
- Groceries
- Get a car wash
- Personal grooming
- Walk Belle
- Take some pictures
Oh the possibilities are endless!
I ticked three items off my list. Just three. But they were possibilities and they were finished!
This week I had listed that perhaps I would pick up candles and frames, take Belle for a bath, go to the laundry mat, still need that car wash, and still need to finish wrapping, and clean my room again. Add to that, writing, and photographing anything, and nothing in particular. And here I am, with a finished list, having all the written possibilities achieved. Possibilities take the pressure off.
We need to quiet ourselves, ease the chaos a bit. What is the worst that can happen? Does the wrapping really need done NOW? If dinner is 30 minutes late because you took a little time to unwind REALLY matter? Can you get gas in the morning instead of fighting the traffic on your way home from work tonight? We expect so much of ourselves.
It's not pro-procrastination as much as it is just giving yourself a break for now! There's no hurry for some of it. So do the necessary stuff, but really think about what that is.
I'm much calmer now. I am enjoying things, adding to my days without expecting to, sleeping better and getting things done. Not on a schedule. Just getting them done. And now? I have more time for some of the fun things in life. And we ALL need a little more of that.
Much love to you all. Have a lovely season of possibility.
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