Life by Lists

Now that I've finished my semester and don't have any work lined up for a while, I've decided to make updating and de-cluttering my house and yard my job. I've written a schedule that includes things like "take everything that doesn't fit you to Goodwill" and "wipe down all walls with a damp cloth". These are the things I always mean to do but don't keep up with. My schedule is more than a list; I have literally written down times I'll do certain tasks, even including slots for healthy eating and exercise. Several years ago I made a chart I referred to as My Manifesto, a place to keep track of what I wanted to accomplish every day in a variety of areas of my life. I did a good job with this for a long time, but then life got in the way in the form of shoulder surgeries and I slacked off.

Among my daily tasks is time for fun. As I progress through the levels of Happify -- on the break-out-of-a-rut track -- I have realized that I don't schedule nearly enough fun. I'm pretty easily amused, so my daily fun doesn't have to be anything extreme. Turning on the sprinkler for a few minutes is today's fun. The weather is hot, the ground is dry, and I can play in the sprinkler stream as I help those problems. Other days' fun is simple too: play with Mazie, try a new recipe, take a walk in a corner of my neighborhood I haven't explored. I'll work up to bigger adventures later, but I'm trying to heed the wise words of my son who told me I should go slowly and do just a little at first and work up to more.

Today's tasks addressed cleaning on, under and behind everything in the dining room, as well as clearing paper clutter, especially my students' papers. I did a good job too! (I haven't emptied the vacuum yet or put away my washbucket, but I'll do that before dinner.) Tomorrow's jobs are to file papers and clean the kitchen. Because I'm going through everything in the cabinets, that one might carry over to the next day. After the kitchen is clean, I'm painting it. Little by little, I'm making big changes -- and checking things off the lists.