In what is mostly unprecedented I am at home alone for several hours. The hubby took the kids to go see a movie, and was SO early he’ll be gone for over 3 hours!
I’m thrilled but also deeply saddened that all the great content I have lined up has to sit and wait while I get done my To Do list.
I’ll be listening to Christmas music, wrapping gifts, AND cleaning the house. Hopefully I can squeeze in a few minutes to breathe. 
A lot of people marvel at how much I do. Since it’s not as much or even as hard as what some people deal with on a day-to-day basis, I don’t think of it as extraordinary. That said, I do have a few ways I utilize my time well.
One is the fabulous To Do list. Now before you go stare at your neverending list, I will say I have one of those as well. It includes things that will literally take years to do (re-doing the kitchen), and things I’m waiting on extra funds to do (cleaning the chimney-and relax, we aren’t using it until it’s cleaned).
We laughingly call that one “The Never-Ending To Do List.”
When I make a To Do list I like to start with something that is easy to accomplish. Say emptying the dishes, or putting away the clothes piled on the couch (isn’t that what couches are for?). The only exception is the hot button task that must-be-done-today. That always goes in large CAPS at the top. Then I like to go room by room, or category by category to finish the list.
I make a habit of breaking things into small pieces, like:
-dust the living room
-vacuum the living room
It makes it easier to have small goals, and I always feel happy crossing something off.
I also always remember one (or more) things will inevitably not get done, so I make the next day/week’s list by adding those items to the top. If something keeps reappearing on my list and not getting crossed off then I think about how valuable it is versus my time. For instance I would love to have the outside of our house decorated better for the holiday, but I am really NOT going to go through 2 entire nets, or 100s of lights to find the one that burned out. At this point we’ll call it done with plans to do better next year.
It also helps to know when I’m done I can “reward” myself. Usually that involves computer time, or eating something chocolatey.
How often do you write to do lists? Do you find it easy to get everything done, or do you struggle with it? Do you reward yourself when you are done?
Kelly
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