It’s 11 o’clock and I wasn’t going to write, and I read through my blogs and got up from the chair and then I came back and sat down to write something, because HEY! I miss you guys when I don’t write.
I can breathe today without the intervention of pharmaceuticals: HALLELUJAH. I’m still not what you would call HEALTHY, but at least I feel like I’m on the mend.
We had an excellent guest speaker at the AWC meeting tonight; she’s a coaching and training expert in personal efficiency and helps people learn how to be more organized, and find the best ways to be effective with their time, and most importantly, how to find a BALANCE. She spoke for 40 minutes and man, now I really want to take one of her 2-day courses. You know, here’s the thing: I’m one of the most organized and efficient people I know, but there is always room for improvement, and learning about how to be even better at something I already do well is FUN. Also, knowing that my efficiency, speed and organized-ness (haaa!) scares people makes me grin evil grins.
Since she didn’t have a lot of time to talk, she could only highlight a few topics and one was how to make to-do lists that really work. Do you use to-do lists? I do. I confess, I love them. Crossing things off them is fun, and crumpling them up and tossing them over my shoulder into the paper recyclables bag is even more fun. Anyway, the idea was that if you have items on your to-do list that never get done, re-examine what it is about the item that you want to achieve. CLARIFY it.
For instance! One of the items that has been on my to-do list for several months is “Martin’s U.S. passport”. It’s not an action item; there’s no verb there to jumpstart me to do something and plus, it hasn’t been urgent because we’re not traveling to the States anytime soon. BUT, it still needs to get done, and I started the process of gathering all the bits and pieces of paperwork and forms and photos MONTHS ago. But the issue with this particular item is that it’s a huge PAIN IN THE ASS. I have to take off a day of work. ANDERS has to take off a day of work (if he doesn’t I have to get a letter from him stating that it’s okay that I get a passport for our child NOTARIZED), the kids have to be taken out of school, and we have to travel over to Denmark or up to Stockholm because the Embassy requires that children under the age of 14 must be PRESENT when renewing or applying for a U.S. passport. Plus all the rest of the hoops and rigamarole one must jump through.
SO, I need to change my rather fluffy vague “Martin’s U.S. passport” item to something more specific: pin down a date that we can all get to the Embassy. Re-apply for the forms that are now outdated. Get a pre-paid registered envelope. Etc.
I have a to-do list at work, and I have several at home. They are always changing. I have the “someday maybe” list and the “not real urgent but needs to be done” list and the “DO TODAY” lists.
To-do lists keep me grounded. They’re memory catchers and gathering places for ideas and wishes and plans. And one of the ones I keep re-writing down is: WRITE A JOURNAL POST TONIGHT.
There! I can cross that one off now.
WRITE A JOURNAL POST TONIGHT
What’s next on YOUR to-do list? Besides comment on this post, of course?! 😀
Giggly Squiggly Giant-Hug-Wiggly Super Birthday Wishes to Christina Rosalie!!