Lost

I lost my ToDo list. It's on a big sheet of blue paper. It organizes my life. I'm lost without it.

I've tried using electronic systems on my iPhone and computer. For some reason, they never really work. I like the tactile aspect of the paper. I like writing out the entries longhand. I like the experience of crossing them out. Paper just works better for me. Until I lose it.

Being a mom has destroyed a lot of brain cells. If the girls grow up to be brilliant, you'll know that they got those brain cells from me. I used to have them. And now I apparently don't. So I commonly say, "If I don't write it down, it didn't happen." I also say, "Why bother trying to remember? I wrote it down?" This works well until I lose what I wrote down.

So I sat down this morning to try to re-compose my ToDo list. Certain things were easy to add. "Clean couch cushion." MeToo helped herself to my hand salve. Then shared some with the couch. How kind of her. Certain things always go on the list, like laundry and house chores. Yes, I know I need to do them, but I also need the satisfaction of crossing them out when I'm done.

I've found that a multi-column list works best for me. I create multiple small categories to help generate the list and feel like I'm covering all of the important aspects of life. Today's list included:  Home, Girls, Work, Church, Errands, Emails, Cooking. I have a lot of baking ingredients I want to use up before they go rancid, so I'm trying to be diligent about cooking more. And I have a baked sweet potato I don't want to go to waste. So planning out my cooking really helps with the waste department...

Once I create a big list, then I turn over the page and make a list of the things that will get done today. It's a bit redundant, but it helps me to self-organize after the myriad interruptions from the girls throughout the day. I need as much help as I can get.

In the end, I accept that my ambition is always greater than my ability to get things done. This is even a bigger issue now that I'm pregnant. The girls' nap time was traditionally a time for me to get housework done. Now it's a time for me to nap, too. The evenings were traditionally a time to finish up tasks from the day. Now it's a time to lay on the couch and groan about being nauseous. So my productivity is significantly diminished. But the list still helps. 

Until I lose it. And then I'm just lost.

I hope your week is a good and productive one, and I hope you don't get lost.