Promise #28: Keep a lid on things

Aug, 10 2010
By Tracey
Moxie
Share your thoughts

Is it just me or are things out of control? Maybe it’s the summer. Maybe it’s the heat. Maybe it’s just the year, the day or the hour.

There are things to do. Things to see. Things to answer. Things to schedule. Things to research. Things to make. Things to get to and things to get over. Things to figure out before it’s all too late.

The Cat in the Hat keeps his Things locked in a box. If you asked me, he’s lucky to have that box. I wish someone could draw one into my life. Since that’s never going to happen, sigh, I’m thinking of a few other strategies to help me keep my things under control.

Press the clutch and shift gears. Getting around to some things is like a slow climb up a big hill with an old engine. Deep down I know it’s completely necessary to take a minute to switch gears in order to rev myself up to tackle the seemingly, but not truly, impossible with a little more, ahem, ummmppphhh.
Take off the cape. Contrary to my own popular belief, I don’t need to save the world. I do, however, need to save myself. Categorizing world-saving endeavors and me-saving endeavors is one of the keys to survival of the happiest. I’m sure of it.
Find a better home for some things. I have a list of things in my “things to do” category that someone else wouldn’t find thingy at all. In fact, hiring someone to manage those things would allow me to spend my time accomplishing things that I am equipped to accomplish. Case in point, I recently hired Tara Gentile to brainstorm with me about improving this blog and laying the groundwork for my next blog. Her brilliance is helping me organize, plan and prepare. These are things that come easily to me when I deal with my clients, but never when I deal with myself. Mission in the process of accomplishment.
Deal with it. My whole list can’t be about avoidance, right? There’s at least three to four moments a week when I find it’s easier to put on my big girl pants and tackle a thing before it becomes a THING. Dealing with it is usually easier than my over-active imagination imagined.
Move on. Yes, move on. It took me years to figure this out. There are many things not worth my time, angst or energy. These things are firmly rooted in the always disappointing, often nonsensical “things to get over” category.
Make a timed list. Timed? Yes timed. I know it takes me approximately two seconds to text a friend, three minutes to empty the dishwasher, five-minutes to fold a load of clothes, one hour to roam around Twitter, two hours to clean the house and so on. When I make a timed list things get done with time to spare. I like to write my lists out by hand because I find great joy in putting the pencil to paper and crossing things off. I’m thinking of buying this fun list designed by Adele at modernemotive.com because I love the not-so-subtle reminder at the top.