Stessing about the "To Do" List

I'd like to think that I can get things done but sometimes I fall short of reaching my goals. I aim high ("I'm going to organize the entire storage room tonight!" or "I'm going to finish the entire craft bag today!") and sadly do not meet those goals. I have been giving this some thought though and here is what I came up with:

1. Is my goal too high? Am I aiming on doing everything in one evening or day? Perhaps I should break it down into manageable parts and get each of those done before moving forward.
2. Do I like keeping a "to-do" list, without actually doing it? I like having a list of things to do but that doesn't mean that I should do them. I just like to know that it is there.
3. Do I focus on the things that I'd like to get done instead of the priorities? Definitely. Ironing clothes versus stenciling something, guess what comes first.
4. Do I get angry at myself for not getting something done? Of course. Sometimes I crawl into bed then remember that I was supposed to do something that evening. Then I kick myself (figuratively) and make a mental note to do it tomorrow...and spend the rest of the night thinking about it. Is that really necessary?
5. Do I multi-task? All the time. I don't have the patience to wait on something to finish, so I start something else. Before I know it, I have 10 things on the go. I'm lucky if I can remember what I was doing from the beginning again.
6. Must I do it all myself? Are you guilt of thinking that you are the only one that can do it right, thus you must do it yourself?

What are some strategies to change this thinking?

I seem to be a person who loves a to do list. Seriously. I love having this immense list of things to do because it keeps my brain active. I am constantly thinking of things that I have to do although they are not necessarily in order by priorities. Here are some strategies that I will be trying to get things done:

1. Write it all down: open a Word document and write down the entire to-do list. Use only one document. Then, categorize it: priority (paying rent, ironing, laundry, etc.), work, upcoming events (ex. Christmas presents), hobbies, etc.
2. Do the priorities first: instead of stenciling something, I should focus on getting the laundry done. I mean, I will love a stenciled cup towel but I will need clothes to wear tomorrow. Besides, there is no reason that I can't stencil while the laundry is being done, a ha!
3. Pick action days: I like this idea from Get-it-Done Guy. Take a day (say, Saturday) and save the non-priority to do list for that day. Do the chores (develop pictures, pick up super glue, etc.) and then mow through anything else that needs to get done. Whatever gets done that day gets done but instead of focusing on what didn't get done, focus on what did.
4. Focus on one task at a time: that will be painful for me, but there are some things that can be multi-tasked (ex. dust living room while dishwasher is going) and some that cannot (ex. washing the car and mowing the lawn). I have started to stop myself whenever I have too many things on the go and I focus on one thing at a time. Instead of doing up Christmas cards over many nights, it did it all in two nights. Then it's done!!
5. Separate everyday tasks from other tasks: everyday tasks are the things like doing dishes, vacuuming and laundry versus re-organizing the storage closet, knitting a scarf, and mending a pair of socks. Make up a routine for the everyday stuff so that it gets done on a regular basis so that you can separate the two.
6. Stop thinking that you are the only one that can do it: I am very guilty of this kind of thinking. Sometimes I think that I should do it because I would do it better than someone else. However, I am learning to delegate tasks to someone else. This does mean letting go of some control but expecting to do everything myself is ridiculous. It might not be done the same way but (a) the task is done and (b) because it was done a different way I might have learned something that I hadn't thought of before.
7. Applaud the tasks that are complete instead of focusing on those that are not complete: so you didn't finish organizing the CDs tonight. Change your thinking and remind yourself that the task is half done. Or, focus on the long list of things that are now done instead of berating yourself on those that are not. Positive thinking is reinforcing and will lead to you getting more done.

What are some things that I have learned?

This year I was running an experiment on getting things done. I wrote down what I wanted to accomplish and worked on doing it. I got tired of saying "I will do this" and moved to a more affirmative position of "I will do this task this weekend". Here are some things that I learned:

1. Check in with the master to do list once per month: since I had written it down, I could check it off once the task was done and reread the list to see what I could now work on. After 12 months, the number of checkmarks is surprising -- and encouraging.
2. Accept that some things will never get done: I have good intentions on writing something down to do but that doesn't always mean that it will get done. It might. The list serves as a reminder. Some things are out of my control (ex. composting in Ottawa apartments hasn't arrived yet) and some things are (finish Christmas card list). Do what I can do, keep tabs on what I cannot.
3. Use the written list as a "brain dump": once it is written down, stop thinking about it. I used to cycle things around all day thinking "I really want to do this" or "This weekend I want to do this". Once it was written down, I wrote when I wanted to do it then emptied my brain of those thoughts. It relieved a lot of stress because now I can focus on other things (work, hubby, cooking supper, sleeping, etc.) without constantly reminding myself that I have to do something.
4. Put some obvious things on the to do list: for example, "Spending time with husband". It's funny how often an evening is spent just watching TV and we think that this counts as time together. No, time together is going out on dates and such. It seems obvious but once you write it on the list, it becomes more real.

The 2011 Experiment

I am running an experiment this year to see if I can stop annoying habits and start good ones. At the beginning of the year, I wrote the list below of everything that I wanted to do in 2011. My motto for this year is: stop saying "I should do" and actually DO. Now that it is almost November 2011, it's time for me to check in.

Complete:

• Wear more skirts: done. As a matter of fact, I made at least 6 skirts this summer and I have worn them all at least once.
• Loose weight: I started a walk/run program in June that helped me lose a whole dress size and gain some muscle tone.
• Watch 1 new movie every month: I think that I have seen at least 6 new movies this year along with many James Bond movies that I had never seen before. 
• Attack the unfinished craft projects: doing, not completely done. However, I have created this blog which has given me a lot of motivation to finish my stash and to do new things.
• Wedding: we got married in October and we made almost everything ourselves. It is already paid too.
• Honeymoon: we went to Paris for our honeymoon and had a great time! It was a big trip and I learned a lot. This trip is already paid as well.
• Address energy consumption in our apartment: I have actually written a blog post about this and we unplug everything possible whenever it's not in use (save the fridge, stove and PVR).
• Produits Lemieux: we made the switch to eco-friendly products in August 2011. These are awesome, they come in bulk and they really work. I feel better using products made of natural ingredients as my cat licks everything.
• Drink less Coke, drink more water: I stopped drinking Coke in May 2011 and I have never felt better!
• Knit a baby blanket: I completed a baby blanket in April and I have started two more. I also learned some new stitches and techniques. I only started knitting in October 2010! 
• Reuse containers: I have tried to reuse every container, box or packaging that comes into my house before it goes into the recycling. Just check out my posts on pump containers, small containers and yogurt containers.

In Progress:

• Make lunches and meals at home: we created a menu for 16 weeks that we follow. I am in the process of updating it now to follow Clean Eating.
• Spend less time worrying about grey hair: meh, it's going to happen. I'm getting older. However, I will pluck out what I can see for my wedding pictures.
• Teach my cat Felix not to bite people: we work on this but it's very hard once he's set in his ways
• 8 hours of sleep per night: this one is harder than it looks.
• Eat more vegetables: we have worked this into our menus, mentioned above.
• Spend more time with my husband: I want to spend as much time with my husband as I can before we start a family. This means doing something together at least once per week. 
• Use up all of the food in my fridge: I have become the fridge watchdog.
• Reuse old clothes or take them to the Salvation Army: as you have seen on this blog, I have been thinking of new ways to use clothes before they go to the Salvation Army. More ideas will be coming.
• Make my Xmas presents: I have been planning this since last Xmas (seriously) and I already have some items made. More will be coming. Besides, I think that it means more to create a gift for someone.
• Visit museums around Ottawa: we visited many Ottawa sites and museums this summer which was great. The Museum of Civilization is really cool.
• Spend more time doing things: I have designated Sundays as craft days where I don't have the TV on or the computer.
• Make my morning routine faster: I have been working on this and I have found solutions like taking my coffee with me in a travel mug and packing things up the night before.
• Keep resources and knowledge found: my computer is a brain, essentially. I write everything down including how I have organized my papers. That way, whenever I wonder where something is, I can look here. I will be writing about this in the future.
• Use Skype to talk with family and friends: I have had many conversations already this year and I plan on using it more.
• Stop spending money on stupid stuff: surprisingly, our upcoming wedding and honeymoon put this goal firmly in its place. I'm very happy about that! Connect more with my family.
• Stop emotional eating: I have been working hard to solve emotional times with talking or writing things down instead of eating. It is an uphill battle.
• Try a new restaurant in Ottawa every month: I haven't tried a new one every month but I have tried at least four new restaurants this year. I will do better next year. 

Unfinished:

• Make homemade preserves: we found that this was harder to do in the city as everything was more expensive and we have no car to go to the country to pick our own berries.We'll try again next summer.
• Volunteer: I haven't done this yet but I still plan to before the end of the year.
• Finish little house tasks: I have been organizing but the wedding chores took over. I plan on addressing tasks like organizing the filing cabinet after the honeymoon in October.
• Composting in Ottawa: this is supposed to be discussed with each apartment complex. I have heard nothing yet but it was supposed to be done in July 2011. I have to talk to my apartment office about this.
• Get a pair of skates: I plan on doing this in October/November. 
• Don't buy any yarn in 2011: well, this one didn't work. I had planned on not buying any yarn because I thought that I had enough to last me a whole year but it was all gone by March. So, that didn't work.
• Perfectionner ma français: I still have more work to do on this but I have French training coming soon at work. 

10 Modern Habits I Want to Stop

I have been thinking a lot lately about older generations versus our generation. We seem to be lazy and addicted to technology versus past generations that worked 16 hour days (mom, dad and child in some cases) to make enough money to run a house. I’m not going to work 16 hour days but I think that I am guilty of some lazy habits that I don’t necessarily need.

1.   Watching TV while playing on the computer: I really am doing something important on the computer. Really. But, why is the TV on while I do it? I don’t know. Maybe if I turn it off I won’t notice any difference in my habits.

2.   Listening to my iPod 24/7: I am completely guilty of listening to my iPod on the bus and at work – all day. That’s an average of 9-10 hours per day. I plan on using it on the bus but trying to wean myself off of it at work.

3.   Not eating at the table: Once I hit university, I ate supper wherever I was sitting. This could have been at my desk while studying or in front of the TV. We really have to eat at the table – with no TV in the background as well.

4.   Drinking sugary beverages: I too am guilty of drinking WAY too much pop. I have been drinking water instead of these sugary beverages and I have already lost 10 lbs (bonus!). I feel better too. It’s strange to say that I could have been addicted to these drinks, but I think after awhile this is true.

5.   Texting during the day: I have to admit, I don’t text much. I prefer one action-packed phone call to texting back and forth. If I text, it will be a short message like “bus stuck in traffic, will be late” that I don’t want to get on the phone for.

6.   Complaining about traffic: I think that it’s stupid to complain about traffic because I made the choice to go home during rush hour. I actually adjusted my work schedule so that I only hit the beginning of rush hour but still, traffic builds up on Mackenzie King Bridge. However, there is one ultimate truth when it comes to traffic – complaining about it won’t make it go faster.

7.   Taking work home with me: this is one that I thought would never happen – that is, until I started really caring about work. I enjoy my work and my workplace. But, I have to implement one absolute rule: work is at work, work ends at the same time every day, and home is at home.

8.   Being overweight: I am guilty of this and I admit that I am not the size that I would like to be but I am comfortable with where I am. I really should lose weight though and I have to make better friends with our treadmill. It’s not a question of if I want to or not, it’s a question of my long-term health and the habits that I want to carry on to my children.

9.   Making excuses and procrastinating: if you think about, this has always existed but in the past generations, work got done or you didn’t get paid or you didn’t eat. Our generation tends to take on more work whether we can do it or not then we procrastinate when it comes time to get it done. This year, I am trying a new goal: get things done. Now.

10. Everything is disposable: at least, it seems that way. Our landfills are not thanking us for this habit so this year I have waged war on disposable waste. This means changing my mind about certain things (ex. Tissues versus. Cloth napkins) but it is working.