September 16, 2015
The scene is set. The house: a wreck.
Clutter is king. Sheets need to be washed, dust bunnies abound, and the vacuum longs to be removed from the closet.
Even though a starting point has yet to be identified, the will within to conquer it all is strong. If only. If only, all of these people I love would leave for a few hours. The mess is great, but my visions are greater.
They will return and be amazed, mesmerized by the scent of lemon and bleach. They will tiptoe across freshly mopped floors as they admire the sparkle gleaming from stainless steel faucets.
And yet, as strong as my determination was, that’s not exactly what happened the last time I had the house to myself. I found myself on the couch, watching Judge Judy, and eating boxed mac and cheese.
Clearly, I cannot be trusted to be left alone.
What I really suffer from is a lack of time management skills. While those moments when I just need to chill exist, there are times when I really need to get some things accomplished.
I have discovered two strategies that seem to get me off the couch and diving into those tasks.
1. Making Lists
I am so tempted at the end of the day to make a mental list of everything that I didn’t accomplish during the day. What works better is to have a list checked with things I did accomplish.
I’m a pen and paper kind of a girl and so being able to see things that I have done works for me. Making a to-do list the night before helps me the most. I can take a few minutes to jot down those phone calls I forgot to make or a project that I want to tackle. In the morning, the list is waiting.
2. Setting a Timer
Typical Denise Scenario:
I decided to go through and sort a stack of papers on the kitchen counter. After going through a few, I looked down and there were a pair of my sandals on the floor. Let me just put these away.
I walked into the bedroom to put away the shoes and saw some shirts that needed to be hung up. I opened the closet door to put away the shirts and there was a towel hanging on the door.
I grabbed the towel and started to put it in the hamper when I thought that I should just start a load of towels in the wash. Walked back to the laundry room with the towels and began the machine. I noticed that my phone needed to be charged. Let me plug that up.
Of course, the charger is beside the dishwasher that needs to be unloaded….
Yes, I wear myself out too.
If you are a Captain Distraction like I am, set yourself a timer. It works. Have a stack of papers to sort? Set the timer for ten minutes. Get it done.
Use an allotted amount of time to concentrate on a particular task.
I especially like to use a timer when I’m feeling overwhelmed and don’t really know where to begin on the work I need to do. I can get through five or ten minutes of cleaning or organizing. Helps me to check off my to-do list so I can get to more important things, like watching daytime court tv.