March 21, 2014

Takin' Care of Business



This is just a short post today, with one quick idea, and totally unrelated link.

First the link: it's a beautiful and powerful post, "The Cure for Not Being Good Enough," by Charlotte over at The Great Fitness Experiment.

Seriously, it's well worth an extra click.

Anyway, here's what I'm trying to do today, and I'd like to pass it on as a quick suggestion:

Blow Off Something You Habitually Take Care of And Deal With Something Less Pressing but More Important That You've Been Avoiding.

You know there's something, or maybe a whole list of things that you've been putting off. And you've been feeling guilty and lame about it and it's taking up space in your brain.

Yet you never seem to make time because the Daily Things That Must be done take up your attention and can not be avoided, right?

But wait, what happens when you get sick?



You don't do things!

Or you do a half-assed job or you get someone else to do them and life goes on.

So here's my suggestion:

Within the next week, pick a day or a half day or whatever.  Or hell, today is good, as Friday is a traditional time for bailing from obligations early.

If you are a good liar untroubled by small fibs, say you are not feeling well, or cite "a family problem."

Or if you don't like to lie, just say "some unexpected personal business" came up. If you are self-employed or stay-at-home, perhaps spring for a babysitter or call on a friend or use some of the resources you would if you were genuinely ill.

Get one of those nagging things out of the way.  You'll feel better. And see if life indeed goes on.

Anything you're avoiding that you might feel better if you took care of sooner rather than later?


33 comments:

  1. Yesterday I finally got around to dusting a small set of shelves too high for me to worry about. This includes the Very Top Shelf which had a lovely cobweb. I'd been meaning to do it for great long time and yes, I did feel better afterward.
    That said, today I am blowing off the laundry.

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    1. That sounds like a well-earned day off laundry leah!

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  2. It wasn't so much avoidance as the papers were in another room...but today was the day the income taxes were filed. Now I can do whatever I want!

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    1. Yay for taxes done! That is huge!

      But, um, could you guys try to pretend you hadn't gotten this all going until AFTER I prodded ya? Cranky Fitness: A Day Late and a Dollar Short. :)

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  3. Thanks to your post, I feel a full day of couch-azzing coming on. If the kids get hungry, there's always milk & cereal. Yup.

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    1. Mmm, couch-azzing and cereal for dinner sounds like a mighty fine idea Yum Yucky!

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  4. I love this idea!!! But I also got in ahead of you by a bit. Maybe it's in the air. Maybe this is the sort of thing that leads to spring cleaning (although nothing has ever led/will ever lead me there). I really, really felt I needed to answer some letters (yeah, snail mail - still exists, they say). There are some people that only send me news at Christmas, and I haven't gotten around to sending Christmas cards since I was about 16. So every year I sit down and answer with my news. Then we all go back to our lives knowing we will repeat the process the next year. This year, things just dragged on, and on, and on. I finally dropped one note in the mail earlier this week...and my once-a-year correspondent sent a reply. By, as they used to say, return mail! She clearly had gotten over not hearing from me at a time that could still be seen as vaguely associated with the holidays, and had seen that little note as a start of a new round.

    You were right. I felt so good when I dropped that envelope in the box. But now? What do I do? I am scared to send the rest of my even more hideously delayed letters (assuming I take that recommended half day off and write them) for fear I will be endlessly buried in a flood of actual letter correspondence which sounds nice but which I know will simply add another dose of delay-guilt to my life!

    They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Well, mine will be decorated with Infinity stamps. I am still working through the stamps I bought for Christmas, 2011.

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    1. DRG, too funny about the unintended consequences of the Christmas card catch-up! But good for you for tackling it.

      I'd say you did your duty with the first round, and if you follow up by email and entice your friend into the 21st century you will be doing her a favor! It's lovely that some people have time for handwritten correspondence and actually enjoy it, but if that ain't you I'd say you are DONE. :)

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  5. I put out the recycling this morning! What more do you want? Don't judge it was frozen to the ground.

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    1. Good enough Cindy! That counts as a home improvement chore AND a workout!

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  6. Yup.. I think it's time I scrubbed the bird poop off of the deck rails. The down side of feeding dozens of blue jays through the winter. Ugh.

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    1. Better you than me Hilary, ick!!!!

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  7. skipping out early to go home and clean my tub. I'll admit it...it's the worse part of bathroom cleaning (the dude does the commode) and I don't want this chore mucking up my weekend. I've got 2 more days of rodeo left! Yeehaw!!!!

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    1. Oh, you're supposed to CLEAN the tub? Hmm that would explain the nasty stuff coating the sides. You'd think if anything in a house should be self-cleaning it would be the bathtub!

      And rodeo? A metaphorical rodeo or an actual one with horsies? Am intrigued!

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  8. I carpool with hubster. I told him to get his ass in gear, cuz we're going home early!

    He asked, "Why?" And just as Crabby suggested, I said, "Some unexpected personal business." ;-)

    Some days, he knows better than to question. Besides, I really do have a horrible headache!

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    1. Yay LuckyMama for the early escape, though sorry for the headache. Hope it magically disappeared as soon as Work was in your rear-view mirror!

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  9. I do have something that I've been avoiding - windows! I have to clean all the windows (inside, outside and between the panes) at our venue. However, I'm not doing it until it is warm - I think I will enjoy it much more if I'm getting some sun at the same time (hopefully the tenants and neighbors don't mind my bikini - just kidding!!).

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    1. You get the best shine on your windows wiping them down with your bikini covered butt I hear. If you use a circular motion you could get your daily 44 in at the same time!

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    2. OMG, love this! Cindy, don't suppose we could con Kim into another guest video on this?

      :)

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  10. Wow, that link to "The Cure for Not Being Good Enough" was awesome. Thanks so much for sharing it. It almost made me cry. After reading the comments I found people did cry reading it. I too am several of those girls. I'm relighting my candle.

    Now, that I'm recently retired, I keep lists and strive to check off one or two things everyday. Even if I have to add something to the list just so I can check it off! No, I don't do the major main things all at once. They wait on list along with other less important things. I do give myself breaks for novel reading and blog surfing. After all, I'll never be done.

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    1. "I'll never be done." So simple yet how often do we act as though the only way to eventual peace of mind is to keep DOING, more and faster and better?

      And yeah, Charlottes piece was beautiful wasn't it?

      And I'm a list crosser-offer too Bob Ben, including adding things I've already done and then immediately crossing it off!

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  11. I started keeping a notebook with those nagging things hanging over my head. Having the list handy keeps me on track when I have a few extra moments so those 'nagging things' get completed. And I feel FABULOUS when I'm scratching off something!!! But I like the idea of taking a weekend to catch up!

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    1. MaryFran, the notebook approach is a great idea, having a physical place to put the nagging things to get them out of your head!

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  12. I really need to do this! :) Declutter - I am so good at NOT doing it!

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    1. I'm with you Jody, sometimes I let the clutter pile up and it can really mess with peace of mind if it gets too bad. The thing that saves me is the Lobster coming back from business trips... seems to give me incentive to declutter periodically before it gets too insane.

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  13. That is excellent advice. There are things we do religiously that could survive a strike once in a while, and other things that desperately need to be attended to.

    Last night instead of checking off some items from my long list of things to do, I took time for myself with no stimuli whatsoever. No electronics, no music, not even a fire... and definitely not allowed to write (although it was very tempting). I sat on the couch, alone, and thought. For a good 2 hours. I had things to discuss with myself!

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    1. Wow, HSH, I love the idea of a 2hr self-discussion! Although with my brain, I might start off all philosophical and end up trying to remember the lyrics to a laundry detergent commercial from 1972. Hope you stimuli-free thinktime was fruitful!

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  14. This is why, as per FlyLady tradition, Wednesday is anti-procrastination day. My procrastination right now is the tidying up of the table beside my bed.

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    1. FlyLady? Not familiar with her but sounds intriguing, and anti-procrastination Wednesday sounds like a great idea Messymimi!

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  15. First, thank you SO much for your sweet shout-out to my post! That means so much to me!! And second, thank you for the kick in the pants. I finished my taxes. (Which as a freelancer is HELL, as I know you know!) And judging from previous comments, clearly the IRS owes you a big thank you too;) Love you!

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  16. yeah - the cure for not being good enough - great post!

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