This
latest offering came to me while I was on my lunch break, sitting in
my car at a park contemplating all the things I needed to do since my
return from vacation. Instead of a “to-do” list, the following
landed on my paper! I am not sure but I think I was channeling Andy
Rooney! Enjoy! C~
I
always have something I can do; maybe you know this feeling? Things
I want to do. Things that I need to do. Things I’ve been meaning
to do. I can “things to do” myself silly. Do they really need
to be done? If I do them, is my life richer, or more meaningful?
Would my life or its quality improved because I did them?
There
are books I “want” to read; CD’s and tapes I’ve been meaning
to listen to. There are organizational projects and cleaning-out
projects on my list of things to do. I have files of written ideas
for writing to record into the computer, a collection of quotes over
the years to cull into one big document. I have a list of things I
want to do that would be fun or different. I even have a to-do list
for when AFTER I get around to doing something in the future!
What
is this phenomenon of “Things to Do” really all about? Am I
creating these things to do so I can feel I’ve accomplished
something after (when and if) I actually do them? Or is it busy work
that gives me a sense of value in my life?
I’ve
considered a “Job Jar” similar to the one I would see in an old
comic strip called “Hi & Lois.” Hi would pull a slip of
paper out of the jar to get his chore for the weekend. A Job Jar
would keep things interesting, and lend a sense of spontaneity to the
“things to do” task. I don’t like being stuck in a routine,
though I need routine to fulfill my need to “mix things up” and
create variety. The Job Jar would also eliminate the dread of doing
those annoying “things to do” items, which tends to lead to
procrastination.I read somewhere that if you have a book or magazine you mean to read, or recipes that you mean to try, or projects you aim to do, and you haven’t done so in over a year, odds are you won’t ever. Interesting; however, I like going up against the odds.
Perhaps
this issue is about how I manage my time or how effectively I use it.
Do I waste a lot of time? Never mind, I don’t want to know that
answer.
I
don’t want to be a busy-body but I know people who seem to have
everything in their life in perfect order. How do they do that? Of
course, I’ve never checked their cabinets or closets or attics to
see if they are stuffed with stuff to do, hidden out of sight, out of
mind.
Having
the burden of all these boxes and lists of things to do leave me
feeling overwhelm, and well, a little lazy. I have things I’ve
held onto for years with the plan of doing something with it. A
table I plan to resurface with mosaic tile. Unfinished
cross-stitching projects I started when I was in my late twenties,
and some I’ve yet to start. Training notebooks, tapes and CD’s I
got from professional conferences when in jobs 6 or more jobs ago;
and handwritten notes, letters, and journals I intent to type up and
chronologically organizing.
I
don’t know. Maybe I’m not that unusual. Maybe I’m an optimist
because I believe I will eventually get to my to-do list and complete
everything on it. Maybe I’ll go to the mall and shop instead.
New
item for To-Do List: Type up a new to-do list.
