I'm pretty sure I'm the Queen of it! I get side tracked, way laid, steered off course. You get the picture. I have grand plans so often and then I spend the day procrastinating and nothing gets done.
This week I have learned a lot. I can now see what is wrong with my last statement and find the first reason for the procrastination.
I have grand plans so often and then I spend the day procrastinating and nothing gets done.
Problem number 1, the words grand plans. I get overwhelmed with grand plans. What I need is a basic plan. Need verses want is a thought process that has really helped me over the last week. I have come out of my dark hole again (thanks to the help of the wonderful people I have found here and my friends) and I have started to see that I need to slow down again, to figure out exactly what I need to do to get through the day.
Some days the washing will need to be done. Other days the grocery shopping will need to be done. Some days I will want to go shopping with a friend. Other days I will want to sit on the couch and eat a giant bag of M&Ms (obviously some days need wins but hopefully not too often!!). Hubby has even started a need/want shopping list on the kitchen table where everyone can write down things we run out of or they think we might buy this week. We want to teach the kids that needs and wants are very different things but often you can have both.
Decision making isn't a huge problem for me. I can usually decide what I want to do or what I have to do. I have a problem with the next step, this is where the procrastination begins. The actual doing. The stepping out the door on grocery day, the getting off the computer when it's time to put the washing on the line. This is where I run in to real trouble most days.
To combat this I have sticky notes (computerised ones) on the desktop of my computer. I found I wasn't using paper lists and notes very well but I do use them on my computer. If I do sit and procrastinate for a while, I can then quickly look at the notes and see what the next step is for today or see what day I can sit and rest if it is not today. This is actually working really well. I can break the day and week up in to bite sized pieces and see it clearly any time I need too. It has given me hope again and helped me put one foot in front of the other this week. Everything seems manageable. I will eventually get around to most of my wants if I just get the needs out of the way and stop putting them off. Stop wasting my own time!!!
My goal for the next week is to follow my sticky notes, make sure I keep them updated and show myself that if I don't waste time, I can get plenty of wants done :)
Hang on a minute, isn't that what I'm trying to teach my kids? If you do your chores on Saturday morning, you can go and play afterwards. If you do your homework, you get to go to Youth Group on Friday night. Oh!! Now I see why they don't really get it. Actions speak louder than words. Looks like we've all got some learning to do this week :)
Jo xo
Jo xo
Jo I think that the M&M's would win everytime around here! My computer is in the corner of the room and sometimes I think if I just don't turn around and look the 'other' stuff I need to do will go away! Funnily enough it never does. But I did read something the other day (not sure where now) that if you show your kids that housework is awful they wont do it, but if they see you do it without complaining they wont mind doing it. This is my new plan - to plaster a smile on my face and hope the kids learn by example! (even though I am grinding my teeth really!!!!!)
ReplyDeleteI really can't understand why the 'stuff' doesn't go away when we ignore it so well!! haha. If only! I think you're definitely on to something there. I have been a nagging Mum about housework lately and when it doesn't get done, I've blown my top a few times!! I think this is where the routine challenge comes in. Time to make housework a normal part of every day for all of us and see where that gets us :)
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