I often feel like I could get it all done if I had just ONE day alone. ONE day of utter concentration, no distractions, no kid, no phone, no husband, just me and this mess of a house and life.
Would that really happen though? Chances are, I'd probably waste the day away blogging, catching up on Facebook or the like. Or I'd get busy "trying" to be productive and get lost in the stack of year-old magazines flipping through and cutting out recipes or things to make/do.
I need to face it. I'm probably NEVER going to have ONE day of utter un-busyness. Life is not that way. I've got to work with what I have, realize my strengths, curb my weaknesses, and move on.
Procrastination is one of my major weaknesses, as is overcomplicating things. My brain gets going one-hundred miles a minute, and I can't even start to keep up. The irony of procrastination is that I think I'm putting things off to enjoy the time I have at the moment, but the procrastination just creates more to do in the long run and the things I haven't done eat at me during the time I'm enjoying "the moment," so I'm not really enjoying it at all.
My very wise and uber-productive husband has diagnosed me with a condition termed "paralysis by analysis." It basically means I'm not getting anything done because I spend too much time analyzing how to get something done (e.g., trying to look at all the brands of a food to see which one's cheapest, planning to redecorate a whole room when all it really needs is a good vacuuming, etc.). I spend SO much time thinking about things I want to do and very little "real" time doing them. The plans in my mind are grand, I tell ya.
My Superman of a husband just gave me this wonderful advice via email: "Focus on checking off your to-do list as you accomplish tasks, but don't think about the next tasks while you're completing the current one. STAY in the moment." I asked him for prayer because I am lacking motivation, but have tons to do. What a wise man. He knows the lazy, procrastinating me and loves me anyway.
So, with that grand advice, I'm off to start my day. Yep, at noon. Hey, it ain't pretty, but it's honest. That's life.
Anyone have any tips/tools/tricks for getting more done during the day? Mantras you live by? Scheduling musts? I'm in dire need of anything I can get my hands on as motivation and structure for my day. I'm a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants gal, and that doesn't jive with being a stay-at-home mom. Reason numero uno why I cannot homeschool. Our days would look like a Jackson Pollock painting.
Send help, please. And a dozen donuts. OK, just kidding about the donuts. Not really.
lol. You crack me up. You are my sister from another mother. I am exactly the same. My only advice (and I don't know if it would work) is to check one thing off a day from the non-necessary items, and then maybe by 2033, you'll be done with that sucker. Tell me if it works.
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Woman Reading Blogs When She Should Be Doing Her To-Do List