It’s time.

on January 28, 2013 in Musings, Uncategorized

I am a planner.  Checklists are one of my favorite ways to plan.  I can break just about any task, goal, or project down into individual steps.  Checking off these ‘baby-steps’ gives me a sense of accomplishment.  But at some point, I have to say, “Enough.”  I have to get moving or all I will have is an extremely thorough list.

Done is better than Perfect

My word for 2013 is ACTION.  While I was thinking about my goals for this year, I realized I have more to get done than ever before.  My habit of starting many projects (and finishing few) has got to be broken.  Tasks need to be finished.  It is not enough to just start.

For most people, the first step is the hardest.  Not for me.  I love to start.  But that’s often as far as I get.  I have searched for a reason for this annoying habit.  Perfectionism may be to blame.  I always believed that it was better to leave something undone, than to have it done imperfectly.  Where did I get this crazy idea?  The Flylady (www.flylady.net) teaches, “Housework done imperfectly still blesses your family.”  2013 will be the year my family is finally blessed in the housework department.

The last time my house was really clean was when my mother-in-law spent Christmas with us.  That was 2006.  But even then, the house wasn’t perfect.  My mother came over and we did what we do best.  Crisis Cleaning.  Random stuff was thrown in laundry baskets, boxes, and bags that we stuffed into the shed in the backyard.  I am ashamed to admit that most of them are still there.  This is not the way I want to live.

A couple of years ago, we turned an old bedroom into a sitting room.  Two love seats, a recliner, and a TV made for a cozy place to escape.  That room stayed neat until my last two classes.  I had to have a place where I could leave my books out.  Then came Christmas, and I used that room to hide and organize presents.  I also bought some pictures to hang on the walls, but they haven’t made it there yet.

The old master bedroom has turned into a storage room.  It’s going to be a guest bedroom, although I still dream of having an office with a door that shuts.  But for now, it’s no good to anyone or anything, except the breakables from the front room and the extra paper towels and groceries from our last two Costco trips.

My memoir sits unfinished in multiple files on my computer.  I also have a notebook of notes and paragraphs.  And there’s a binder too….

Action (noun): the process or state of acting or being active, something done or performed, an act that one consciously wills and that may be characterized by physical or mental activity, energetic activity (from dictionary.com).  The opposite of action is rest or inactivity.  I’ve had enough of that.

My new plan is to devote a specific amount of time each day to one or two projects.  How much time does one extra load of laundry take?  I can sort through a bag of papers in less than 15 minutes.  I’ll use my checklists when I have to, but perfection doesn’t matter right now.  It’s time for action.

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