I had grand plans this past holiday weekend. Plans that included cleaning out my bathroom cabinets, organizing our office, cleaning out my closet, child proofing, writing my books, etc., etc., etc. Ahhhhh, I love a good plan.
But life happened. I did bag up some big-girl clothes (stored some, gave away others) and attached that fun little gadget to the toilet so Blue can’t take a yummy swim… but the office? Yeah right. My books? Pretty much untouched.
Excerpts from a conversation with my husband yesterday:
“I really wanted to tackle the office… the mail… my closet… and the child-proofing this weekend, but it’s just so overwhelming…”
“Where do I start?”
“I feel like I have to choose between spending time with my family and getting my house organized!”
“There’s just not enough time!”
Then it hit me that the things I was saying were the same things I’d said about weight loss. Losing 20 pounds was overwhelming and finding time to exercise was daunting (I felt like I had to choose between a run and my family). What’s more, I felt like I deserved to eat the garbage I was eating due to the stress in my life. Likewise, I think I felt all weekend like I deserved to play with my family. Playing is wonderful, let me be clear, but as a grown-up and all, I need to find some balance (or else just change the name of the office to “dump”).
So — I’m going to have to treat my home organization/book writing to the same process, because let’s face it, it’s all about time management and knocking out small goals. FitFab40 has to do with far more than wearing skinny jeans. It’s about tackling those things you talk about, but never actually do (or do right). So while maintaining my current weight is still very much a priority, I’m going to be blogging about this new undertaking as I figure out how to take control of that part of my life.
Why have I decided to do both organization and writing? Both are gnawing at me right now, screaming to be addressed. And both require the exact same process: making small goals, working it into my daily agenda and, hopefully, creating new habits that make it possible to be an organized writer moving forward.
Just like with the weightloss, I’m going to start VERY small… maybe collect a few successes and let that drive me. This week:
- Clean out bathroom cabinet.
- Take computer to bed ANY two nights (how romantic) and write a paragraph or two before bed. Doesn’t have to be good, just has to be.
That’s it. We’ll make Tuesday my “check-in” day (like weighing in every Friday). Keeps me accountable and reigns in the procrastination.