Write It Out

Inspirational song: Kiss On My List (Hall & Oates)

I've been in that state where I had too many things to do, and no sense of organization to prioritize them. I was getting absolutely nothing done. There was only one way to fix this, to clear out the inertia that kept me from accomplishing anything at all in a timely fashion: to write it  all out by hand. I had to put down everything big and small, from "pay taxes" and "prepare back patio for new hot tub" to "take morning pills - M T W Th F" and "buy cat food from Costco." No task is too complex or mundane to appear on the list. And I only focused on this week, the things that had to be done before bedtime Saturday.

This simple solution has already borne fruit. I have been able to mark off ten things since this morning. (I occasionally do "ten thing drills" to tidy up rooms quickly--maybe this counts as one?) One of them I didn't physically do myself (put taxes in the mail), but I needed to help verify that it got done. Two things I got to check off were just taking my pills morning and night, which I'm happy to count as a success, since I don't always remember to do it. I am now one week closer to current on the Rotary newsletter, because I was able to triage my responsibilities. And I rewarded myself for being responsible by doing a fun task, pruning roses in the front and back yards now that new branches have already begun to emerge and time is running out for that duty.

I'm actually looking forward to marking off more from the page. It covers a column and a half of a full page of notebook paper so far. Just by going through my normal Tuesday, I'll knock out four items, and there are another four easy ones I'll do before lunchtime. I'm pretty sure this is actually making my stomach feel good instead of tense, having it all laid out for me, preplanned and itemized. I'm even relaxed enough, I think I'll fall asleep quickly and be able to slip right into dream stage. I won't have to listen to an unquiet mind. Why don't I do this all the time?