This post is probably going to sound a lot like bragging – but I promise there is a point at the end…
I am challenging myself to do ‘one big thing a day’.
Why? Because I stand in amazement at what an ordinary human can accomplish in a morning. For decades I have watched friends (not so much family) just soar through their days. They get thing, after thing, after thing done. They just crank out the minor jobs of day-to-day living.
And I stand there stunned and mystified as to how they can do it.
HOW?
Then this morning…
I was up early.
Made my bed.
Ate breakfast.
Did a little social media.
Decided that my ‘one big thing’ challenge was going to be to clean my desk off.
So I went upstairs with my plastic grocery bag of cleaning supplies – and a bag to toss garbage into – and a bag for donates. A couple of rags to do some dusting. And my cup of water.
But that turned into –
You know I could use a chair in here.
(Into the spare room) (Look! A chair we aren’t using)
Moved the chair into my office space.
Went back to the spare room and moved my husband’s inversion table closer to the window. The mirror isn’t in danger now and I can get to the linen chest. And he has a window to look out of. Win-Win-Win.
Noticed the floor needed spot cleaning… grabbed a rag dumped some water on it from my cup, let it sit.
Felt like some music – had to clear my desk anyway – so set up a place for the computer and hit Pandora.
And on. And on. And on.
…
By lunch I had moved a set of shelves from the basement to my office. Reorganized my desk. Tamed all the cables. Danced. Made a bed for the cat on the shelves…
And I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized that I had been more than just ‘functional’. Damn, I rocked this morning.
The point to all this is I noticed WHY this morning was so productive.
I GOT OUT OF MY HEAD.
Everytime that little voice said… AUGH – I’m overwhelmed!
I would pause – and talk to myself.
“Really? We’re mopping a spot off the floor. This is a problem?”
And – that voice of being overwhelmed quieted a bit.
“OK, just this.”
Next time. AUGH – I’m overwhelmed!
“We are just brushing the dust off the shelves – nothing says we have to do anything else. Is this really a problem?”
A little quieter.
“OK, just this.”
I managed to “Ok, just this.” my way into having a bloomin’ productive morning. And it was all because I listened to that anxious little voice – responded to it – and just did one more little thing.
I’m guessing all my ‘productive’ friends don’t have that almost instant anxiety always in their heads stopping them from doing most anything.
I think/hope I have tamed mine a bit more this morning and more importantly – learned how to work around it.
I hope this helps someone else.