Friday, May 9, 2014

What Are You Waiting For?

Five romance novels, seven extra pounds, a stack of magazines, dirty kitchen cabinets, a messy office, winter shoes, a manuscript to polish, my daughter's drive time to qualify for her license--last week I stared down many things I planned to "get to" at some point last month. Yeah, my life has been crazy lately (what's new?) with extra responsibilities and not enough time or energy for the regular routine, let alone the additional tasks. But did that mean I should completely give up? Pretend the to-do's on my list didn't exist?

Of course not!



I'd read a book on organizing my life earlier in the year, and some of the advice roared back. Life wasn't going to accommodate me with big chunks of time. I was going to have to chip away at the issues.

The first thing I did was ask myself what was bothering most on the list? Easy! Two things jumped out at me.

1. My weight
2. My manuscript

Next up?

3. Drive time for my daughter
4. Romance novels (I'd agreed to read each of them)
5. Everything else

I work on my manuscript every weekday, but I mapped out a clear end date with target goals for the remaining steps I needed to take to finish it. As for my weight, I want to be toned, so I committed to twenty minutes of exercise six days a week.

Then I smooshed the other things into the days I don't have to drive my son to baseball or my daughter to track. A few of them I haven't gotten to yet (winter shoes and dirty kitchen cabinets might wait a long time), but I feel so much better now that I'm making progress, I'm okay with having a few danglers!

Sometimes I get behind because life overwhelms me, but when I make a plan and tackle things a little here a little there, they get done. We don't have to wait for a huge block of free time. Let's face it, that big old hunk of time might not happen for months! The slowly-but-surely method works great. Try it!

What are you waiting for?

Have a terrific weekend!!

16 comments:

  1. If I waited for a huge block of time, I'd be in trouble too! Small bites always wins! :)

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    1. I agree!! I do get discouraged at times that I can't finish a project when I want to, but that's okay!

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  2. This is why parents get so excited when their kids learn to drive. No more playing chauffeur! There really aren't enough hours in the day, especially for a writer!

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    1. I AM excited!! She doesn't have a car, but even using ours will give her more freedom!

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  3. A little each day. And not beating yourself up if plans gang aglee

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    1. Yeah, those doggone plans to get wonky sometimes! Ha!

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  4. That huge block of time? It's a dream. Not reality. I kept waiting for it, but it never comes. The one day it did, it got filled up with the menial with deadlines rather than the things I wanted to fill it with. Sigh.

    I love your idea of working on things in small doses. I am trying to reestablish the practice of focusing on one area in my house for 10 per day till it's organized/decluttered/whatever. When I do this, it feels so much better. There's nothing quite like the feeling of a sense of progress.

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    1. We must be on the same dream, because I keep waiting for it too! Ha! I love the idea of 10 minutes of intense cleaning. I might even get my kitchen cabinets finished!

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  5. What am I waiting for? I seem to require a lot of sleep these days. Last night Hubby was taking to me. I was on the couch trying to watch TV while I was fighting sleep. I feel sluggish and never fully rested. I missed church last Sunday.

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    1. I'm sorry. It sounds like you're exhausted. Keep resting as much as possible, and try not to worry if you miss a few church services. :(

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  6. Great idea, writing it down that way. I think I do that in my mind, but having it concrete in front of me would be more helpful. I tend to try and wait for the bigger bites of time, but recently found that it's just not working. So now I'm working on taking any small bit I can.

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    1. I'm not sure if I get more done when I write it down, but I feel more accomplished, and that alone is worth it! Try it!

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  7. The slowly-but-surely method works great... I like that. That's me... probably :)

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  8. I think slowly-but-surely is the way to go, too. With some clearly defined goals and an action plan. If a big chunk of time did drop from the sky, I'd just waste it if I didn't have a plan. P.S. my kitchen cabinets are dirty, too.

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    1. There's something to be said about a whole day to waste! Wouldn't that be nice?? (Are you as apathetic about the dirty cabinets as I am?)

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