Resolutions, Schmesolutions! I am not a resolutions girl.
There is simply too much pressure involved, and I do not have the space on my plate for that extra guilt.
For crying out loud, I was once a single mom .
.
do you KNOW how much guilt one has to parse out for that?! Not too mention being raised Catholic and having parents who divorced after I was a grown-up.
I mean, COME ON!! I do not have the energy to beat myself up for not going to the gym twice a week or for spending $200 on organization containers that are collecting a layer of dust in the garage.
If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the confessional, that's my motto.
So, instead of resolutions, I stick to a very effective method of feeling accomplished: I make lists.
I make lists of the lists I need to make.
And I'm very good at it.
(grin) As a matter of fact, it is such a settling experience for me that my sweet husband has been known to banish me from the family until I've made a list! My lists are so calming that they help OTHER PEOPLE to be able to tolerate being around me! How's that for Zen?! The secret to making a good list is to be thorough and focused, but concise.
I saw a terrific speaker once talk about the difference between a man's "to-do" list and a woman's.
A man's list will be simple and typically no more than five items long - it needs to fit neatly into a shirt pocket.
The woman's list will be as long as the piece of paper she is using.
God help us if she's armed with a legal pad! Think about it, ladies.
Isn't it true? Don't you keep thinking of things until your list is so daunting you can't find a place to start?? We sabotage ourselves! Instead, think about the "big picture" task at hand.
Are you cleaning the house? Planning a party? Planning a vacation?Organizing a move? Whatever the big job is, you can certainly break it down into smaller jobs.
And once the smaller jobs are denoted, you can let yourself break those things down into manageable bites - perhaps even assign some of the small bites to your minions, (ahem), helpers.
Here is a terrific example.
Last Christmas, I lost my mind for a minute and offered up our home for every holiday gathering in my family (which means three in a row - Christmas Eve Eve, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day).
My daughter nearly went on strike, realizing that I would be a raving lunatic and absolutely not a happy, bouncy holiday girl! But here's how we did it.
List 1: Food (my favorite list) a.
Which meals will be involved and what will be the menus (including planned snacks)? Some of these items were things I could call and ask other people to provide, so we did that and got some relief there.
b.
Grocery list for all ingredients to prepare anything I'm preparing/serving, including beverages, condiments, and paper products.
If this list is done carefully, SOMEONE ELSE can do the shopping! (Bonus!!) List 2: Venues a.
Which rooms will have to be cleaned or prepared (sometimes rooms that will NOT be used still need to be presentable, if folks who haven't visited before will want to see the rest of the home); b.
Quick and dirty list of what needs to happen for those rooms to be ready.
Again, if this list is detailed, SOMEONE ELSE can do the work! List 3: Gifts a.
Since ours was a holiday event, we made a list of all the folks for whom we wanted to give a gift.
Some were food gifts which required their own list of prep time, packaging, groceries, etc.
But you get the idea.
b.
Places to go (an errand list, basically) to get the things on the gift list.
Remember, make this one detailed enough that someone else can run around for you! List 4: Timeline This is the crucial list for me.
What needs to happen and when? This one is created in a nearly backwards format.
In this case, I started with the big Christmas Dinner.
I knew I wanted to serve dinner at 5:00 p.
m.
, so I needed to have the Rib Roast out of the oven by 4:30, which means it needed to go INTO the oven by 1:30, so I needed to get it unwrapped and prepped starting at 1:00.
Potatoes needed to cook 45 minutes, so put them in the oven at 4:15, which means start peeling and prepping them around 3:30.
Carrots and peas could be prepped a day ahead and not go into the oven until same time as the potatoes, so I put them on the "day before" list! And on and on.
See how this works? Does it sound very daunting? I assure you that once you go through the process of putting it all down on paper, you will be AMAZED and DELIGHTED at how easy it is to follow your own map! Now, let's shift gears a bit and take a look at a "free" Saturday.
Free is a relative term, of course.
If you're like me, there is always something you should be doing.
But some Saturdays I just need to feel accomplished - like I've made some progress with the things I've been procrastinating.
Before Noon: Go to the Bank (This requires copying checks to be deposited and filling out a deposit slip, so I would put those two things on the list under "Before 10 a.
m.
", maybe - working backwards again, see?) Go to the Post Office (This requires boxing up items being returned to my company and doing the online process the company requires for returns; again, place those things in the "Before 10 a.
m.
" category, also.
) Go to the Farmer's Market (Maybe I need to check the crisper drawer in the fridge to see what's rotten and/or needing replaced; also might need to have a "meals for next week" list planned so that I don't buy a bunch of stuff that will go bad by next week!) Now, if I get those three things (were there only three? Not really, but don't tell me that.
) done, I know I've made a big dent in keeping my business and my household chugging along.
I don't feel harried or "behind.
" Once the plans are all laid out before me, it's very easy to just follow directions and STAY ON TRACK.
And I don't need a list of 37 other things to do on Saturday, either.
I might just putter around or I might hit a movie with my family because I KNOW I've already accomplished the busy stuff! Here's one important tip: DO NOT make a list of things you'll never finish!! I'm talking about laundry and you know it! You can't put "Laundry" on the list because, well for most of us anyway, it's a never-ending beast.
You can't ever really check it off and it will always be staring at you (TAUNTING you!!) from that silly paper.
If you need reminders to check your laundry every day, get yourself a fun reminder that can be hanging on your computer monitor or your bathroom mirror.
(I have this great Christmas ornament that's a little doll sweater on a clothes hanger - it hangs on a magnetic hook on my fridge and every time I'm in and out of the fridge I see it, so it makes me think about whether the dryer might be done or whatever.
) Practice makes perfect in whatever we do, so if you're new to "the list thing", try starting small.
Try making a menu for your family for the week and break down the ingredients and a grocery list.
I promise, you will love the freedom it brings NOT to have to wonder what's for dinner every day! Pretty soon you'll be a List Addict, like me! Maybe we can start a club! Happy Listing!!