Finishing To-Do Lists
Everywhere I look, it seems I find unfinished projects and things that need to be done. It’s impossible to completely eliminate every task I find. And what’s worse: Martin discovers a slew of things we need to do, too.
Do you ever get overwhelmed looking at all of the “to dos” around your house?
Our biggest problem is knowing that we are moving in a few weeks. Suddenly all those things that you neglect in life or never really think much about are waving their arms at us. They’re shouting, “Haha! You have to take care of us before you leave!” It’s the butter in the freezer, nicknacks to donate, papers to scan, and all these little things that we never really think about when we can wake up and still be in the same place the next day. But one day soon, we won’t be in the same place. We’ll have to tell someone over the phone to dig in files if we need something that we didn’t make digital. (Here’s a handy list of practical things to make digital, from documents to movies.) I must breathe deeply even as I describe this overwhelming feeling to you.
Yet to some extent, even though you don’t have to worry about what to do with all the dried goods in your pantry like us right now, you probably face so very many little projects, too – the tasks that you’re not sure you’ll ever manage to cross off the list.
Some tasks (like this one below) are clearly important. It’s the urgent but totally not important projects that can trip us up.
Are you a good to-do list person? Not me. No matter how much I rush to finish as many projects as I can, I never get that satisfaction of crossing off the very last item. It usually seems so trivial by the time I reach it that I wonder why I even thought something like “organize utility bills” was so urgent. Are tasks like that really important before we leave for Germany? And even more importantly, are the little tasks that you and I stress over all that important in our lives?
Women are natural multi-taskers. I don’t know about you, but I can’t even watch a movie without feeling like I have to do something with my hands. The worst was when Martin caught me reading a book while watching a movie. A book! It’s no wonder I’m exhausted at the end of the day.
This last year, I have really tried to simplify our home and habits. First, my dad taught me this simple trick for de-cluttering sentimental things so they’re easier to part with. I’m trying to get rid of the papers and items that seem interesting and seem like something I’d want in the future. I don’t pick up the free magazines at the health food store any more or clip out intriguing ideas or recipes unless I’m certain I’ll want to use them in the next month. Any of the stuff either of us hangs onto has to be something we would need in the next three years.
Three years. That’s my focus. If things can’t be useful to our lives and our home by then, they need to be donated or recycled. It’s just not worth weighing down life in order to keep them.
So what happens when you reach this point of frustration when all those projects start shouting, “Me! Me! Me!”? The key – for me anyway – is to quit creating trivial things that need to be done and being more conscious as I bring projects (like those free magazines) into our home.
Taking a no new clothes challenge has helped decrease the feeling of needing to clean out our closets more because they’re not getting fuller. Organizing stationery, learning to live with next to no storage (and no closets) in Germany, dispersing my childhood postcard collection – each little change in our habits adds up. Ultimately, they mean less work down the road and fewer tasks on the never-ending to-do.
How often do you decide to leave projects unfinished? And can anyone offer all of us who suffer with trying to get on top of things some advice?
Keep it green and simple with 2 more ideas:
August 18th, 2009 at 7:46 am
I’m not sure if I “decide” to leave projects unfinished too often. I always seem to convince myself that they will be finished eventually (yeah, I lie to myself a lot).
My new way of thinking is to tackle one project at a time until it is finished completely. That means I can’t go out and buy new wall art to hang until the trim is painted. This way, the new projects are more like rewards for finishing the previous ones.
August 18th, 2009 at 7:53 am
I think I almost always finish projects that I start – sooner or later. However, I have a lot of things on my list that I never get around to starting, in spite of my best intentions. And it often takes me far longer to finish things than I would like.
At this point, I’ve just accepted it. I have two very small children, life is hectic and chaotic and I don’t get a lot of time to myself. I can try to overcome it and go a little crazy, or I can accept it and remain sane. I’ve chosen sanity, and not being on top of things. At least for now. ;)
August 18th, 2009 at 9:17 am
It seems that I, like Amber, have developed a tolerance for finding the right time to do a project. This may be a recipe for disaster for some, but I start to accumulate things in one spot until I can make the project. A lot of my projects are of a sewing nature and I have found that using those clear plastic zipped containers (that hold sheets or drapes) are useful for gathering the items I will need. They are clear and a constant reminder of what I still need for the project.
Your blog is just a treasure trove of information and inspiration–thank you.
In reading some of your German posts, I found comfort in the post about them not having the same “put the guests to work in the kitchen” that we Americans do. We visited friends last fall in Bavaria and the kitchen was so small that I felt awkward trying to keep inserting myself into the already 3-person party. I finally gave up but felt guilty that I wasn’t better at helping.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Thanks Katie, You are inspiring. I think of you as I declutter my house. Owning things is just such a burden, and weigh me down, whether I have to dust them, clean them or just deal with them. It has made donating to charity and going green much easier, because I think of you.
I am in the process of “finding” my sewing room. I am donating fabrics I thought I would use and never have to the local charity, I am finishing projects and it is a really free feeling to get them out of the box where they took up storage space and are now being used on the beds (quilts) or whatever else I am finishing. (a knitted scarf, crocheted hot pads, and knitted dish rags)
I can’t believe you are already headed back to Germany so soon. Somehow in my mind, I thought I might make it up there to visit you while you were here. . .
sorry, I don’t think it will happen. *sigh*
~a
August 18th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I don’t even want to think about the various versions of to-do lists that I have going right now both at home and work!
It seems like every time I cross anything off, two more things show up.
The key to all this is to:
1) Prioritize. Do what HAS to be done based on need, starting with the most immediate.
2) Plan a strategy. After dealing with the immediate, figure out the next things on the list to do and tackle them in a timely way, but not with an inflexible deadline.
3) Permit change. If it looks like there is something you just CANNOT do or get to, cross it off. Unless it is something vital, it’s stupid to just torture yourself by leaving it on there.
Reminding myself to PRACTICE all these things … :-)
August 19th, 2009 at 5:23 am
I’ve become much more of a to-do list person over the past year — it helps me to really know what it is I need to get done and it feels great to actually check things off of my list! And now that I’m about to move, too, (a week from today!) I’ve got all of this stuff I want to organize and deal with (like cataloging my wardrobe… and just organizing everything so that it’s organized in my new place)… You should check out springpad – it’s a great tool to keep track of everything from moving to do lists to weekly meal plans. I’ve been using it to try to organize things for my move and it’s been great!
August 19th, 2009 at 11:15 am
Nicole – I need to just cross things off when I come to the realization that they shouldn’t be on my list. Thank you. Why is it I did not think of that? I guess it’s the deep feeling of “I must DO all of this”.
August 19th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Thank you for all the comments. I think I will have to read and reread your thoughts several times in the next few weeks. Annie, I’m with you. Is it already time for us to go back?!
Katie
August 22nd, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I try to work with flylady system, baby steps, not too long to do’s and actually have to learn how to do less and relax more…