Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The joy of to-do lists...and dinner is arranged


I am enjoying my home holiday so far. There's been sunshine and I have done a few things on my to-do list.

And yes, I actually have a to-do list. I love lists - or more accurately, I love to cross items off my lists. I like the feeling of accomplishment, of overcoming my tendency towards laziness and procrastination.

I don't usually write to-do lists during the week because, being a legal secretary, what I do and when I do it is mostly dictated by others. But I go into every weekend with a to-do list, and I put everything on it, even stuff that I do every single weekend and don't need to remind myself to do, like buying food. All for the buzz of crossing it off!

I know, it's a bit tragic. But! I don't usually allocate times or prioritise anything, so it's not totally anal and lacking spontaneity.


Decluttering pt 2

I have nearly completed the second phase of my big clean out. Last night I went through all my cupboards and ruthlessly culled everything I haven't worn or used in ages and am not likely to. I threw out two bags of rubbish, two bags of cardboard and paper went in the recycling and I have heaps of stuff to go to the op-shop. I just have to get it there now.

(On a side note, while going through my stuff, it occurred to me that one of the downsides of the proliferation of gadgetry these days is that you end up with a corresponding proliferation of assorted cords and adapters and chargers and plugs whose purpose often becomes a mystery...but you don't want to chuck them just in case! I put them all in a box in the bottom draw of my desk.)

The next and final phase of my clean out is to go through years of paperwork which has been shoved in shopping bags because I was too lazy to properly file it.


Dinner up-date

The dinner with the man from my past is on Thursday night. I'm excited but nervous.

Are you a writer of to-do lists (or any other kind of list)?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I make lists mostly during the week for my day-job, business and home life. It’s something I need to keep up with though. This week, I didn’t write anything down and I am slightly lost as to my next steps when it comes to household chores and my business. To-do lists really makes a huge difference in my day-to-day organization.

Jim Gaudet said...

I only write things down to remember them, but never need to go back to them. Somehow writing them down helps me to not forget.

Good luck at your dinner!

BTW - there is a spelling mistake, you say across when I think you mean cross.

Unknown said...

Yes ... de-cluttering! I'm all about reduce, reuse and recycle. So I congratulate you on sorting through everything and recycling where appropriate. And here's what I've found ... there is a certain freedom in not having so much stuff.

Take Care!
Small Footprints
http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com

Julian said...

I've started occasionally making up to-do lists when I've got way too much to hold in my head at once. They can be very useful both for keeping track of things and de-cluttering/de-stressing your brain! I get a small feeling of achievement when I cross something off too, and sometimes even feel a bit lighter. :)

Years of paperwork shoved into shopping bags hey? Hmm, now where have I heard that before?? (I'm mostly better nowadays though, and have a largely respectable filing system, although I still slip into the "to-do piles" trap sometimes ;) ).

Hope tonight goes well!

Jayne said...

Hi Carla. Yep, Lists are a good way to feel in control of things, especially if you have a pretty busy life. My life isn't that busy really, but I seem to be losing my memory already.

Hi Jim. Yes, perhaps committing tasks to paper is enough for some people. I'm a little nervous about dinner, but I'm sure it will be fine.

And thanks for letting me know about the typo!


Hello Small Footprints. It's amazing the freedom you get from not having so much stuff. Training yourself not to crave more stuff is also very freeing. I'm working on that. I felt bad about throwing out the stuff that went in the bin, but some things just can't be recycled or sent to the charity shop unfortunately.

Hey Julian! Yes, I know what you mean about having too much stuff to fit in your head. I seem to be in a perpetual state of information overload. I have cleared the shopping bags...well, sor of. Most of it is going straight into the recycling bin (though it needs to be shredded first so no one steal my identity!) but the stuff I'm keeping has um...gone back into a shopping bag! I thought about it and realised that I so rarely refer back to any of this documentation that it's not really worth the effort of filing it properly. Um....that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!