Things (Were) Piling Up

I leave visual clues around the house to remind me what is left on my never ending to-do list.

The 'outgoing' stuff that I must grab when I walk out the door is on the microwave, in my shoe or already in the car so that I can't forget it. My daily reminders, lists, notes-to-self are by the fridge. Any thing that is vital (to me) to get done is on the kitchen table. On the weekend, I have the luxury of placing an end table in the living room with any 'work-in-progress' that I hope to tackle. The table in the living room is a collecting spot for my book keeping work and my family history work in progress. I have 'reminders to self' all over the place.

I set timers to remind myself of various things. Sending kids to school (I'd never want to forget that one), turning off a sprinkler or anything else that is of a time sensitive nature. I have scraps of paper to remind myself to email, write, ask or tell someone something. I write notes to myself about things I want to write about or check into. I have a whiteboard on the fridge to list upcoming dates and events and a magnetic clip beside it to hold any related paperwork.

I woke up feeling exhausted and overwhelmed Monday morning and I simply ignored everything around me. I made my breakfast smoothie, had my coffee, gave myself the morning off of exercise and just tended to myself in the 2 hours that preceded the onset of kids.

After I took that time, I went into the kitchen and simply dealt with many of the piddly little tasks that were staring me in the face. I made them disappear. It felt like a load off of my shoulders, to have the counters clear of to-do-items. I could have done it all the night before. I'm not sure why I didn't. But waking up to this small amount of to-do-overload wasn't the way I wanted to start my week.

There is my book keeping pile. The pile was quite tall at the beginning of the weekend. I was overwhelmed at what I had to accomplish. The lack of a deadline to complete the work didn't help my ambition to tackle it. But I started with the work that had the visual appearance of looking the largest (in actuality, it was the easiest job to do). It was amazing how I felt after I put 3/4 of the pile in (a new) 'done' pile. Since then, the work keeps coming and it's not going any where (it hasn't been picked up). So I have my to-do pile and my done pile. My done pile is 17 inches tall; my to-do is 1 inch. Do I feel invincible? You bet! The unfortunate part is the yet-to-be-done pile is brain intensive work. But it doesn't really matter right now, when I look at what I have accomplished.

My family history project has a few spots around the house. The albums (that have been scanned and are in the to-go-pile), the paper work that has amassed and my recorder with my many notebooks of the conversation I have transcribed. Once again, the work yet to be done has the visual appearance of taking up a small amount of space physically. The time involved to complete the task is another story.

In the (almost) 2 hours since I started this post, I have dealt with and created more cues to ensure I get as much done as I can with the time that I have available today. My 17" pile of completed book-work has been removed from the house and I feel about 10 pounds lighter.

In reality, the weight issue is still a battle I'm contending with. I must prepare the makings for a salad (empty container is on the counter so I don't forget); the nectarine that I plan to have as my mid morning snack is also in sight (to get my taste buds and mind accepting the fact that my snacks will be of a healthy variety today).

What we place in our line of vision creates what is going on inside of our minds. I should find a picture of my leaner body on the fridge (and various snack cupboards). I should design a cover for the family history books that I am working on. I should do a lot of things. I think I'll start a list ....