To Do Lists

My Kind Of To Do List

My "To Do" list has gradually decreased over the years. This is not due to the fact that I have less to do, oh no! This, I believe, is that my expectations have become more real. I no longer think I can plan all the events of my day in any kind of order. I have slowly learned that trying to structure my day around what I "needed" to get done was only leading to disappointment. I would go to bed feeling like a failure. I have come to realize what I NEED to get done everyday is make sure that my family is taken care of - how that changes is not only day to day but moment to moment.

In this spirit I may have found a "to do" list that will work for me from Prettybitter.com

Being someone who still likes to feel accomplished I do still "plan" one or two things I want to do. These are either put on a mental or actual to do list. For example today's list had two items on it: put away laundry and finish putting away Christmas decorations. By lunch time I had crossed off the decoration idea (not because it was done, but,because I knew it wasn't going to get done)

The amount of things accomplished around here are far greater then one or two things I place on my list ... today for example - Get three wee ones on bus by 7 a.m., get beloved out the door with food and coffee in tow at 7:15, shower 7:30(meeting is in 1 hour), get wee one #4 up 7:45, get both of us dressed and fed(not so successful this a.m.) get vehicle warm and ready by 8:15, somehow do hair and makeup in between shower and leaving. Arrive at meeting early to make copies, drop wee one at play room, meeting 8:30-9:40 (we went long), get gas in cans per request of beloved, come home by 10:30a.m., move onto lunch and getting back into the swing of the house, somewhere around noon I started putting away the laundry (I still have 2 of the 10 baskets to put away) This is about the same time I crossed off the Christmas decorations line of my to do list.

It is now 3 pm and I know this is the time I need to start thinking about supper. In one hour the wee ones will be off the bus and the 4 ring circus will begin (now in this corner.... the amazing grumpy wee one)

We use "to do" lists to make us more organized and to feel better about what we do in a day. I have found that they may actually work against us and that the maker of the I will do one thing today pad may have the right idea. If we can all accomplish one major thing a day and let the little things fall where they may we may all be better off in the end.