Can You Catch Up?
I’ve started using a new time and contact management program called Time & Chaos. Just the title makes me smile. I need more time and life feels very chaotic right now.
One neat feature in this program is the “To Do” list. As you know, my “to do” list is a key part of my life. Most days I create a list of priorities to keep me focused on what needs to be done.
Most days I don’t finish all the items on my list. That’s okay. I always think big. I think I get more done by planning too much than if I planned too little. Don’t get me wrong, I believe and practice life balance. Many times my “to do” list consists of things like:
- Get manicure
- Watch Star Trek marathon on TV
- Lunch with Candy
But one thing I’m noticing about this new program is that things that you don’t finish get moved to the next day’s list. Sounds good, right? It automatically moves things forward.
My problem with this is for those things I try to do every day. For instance, my computer files are a mess. My office is a mess. My home is a mess. My goal/intention is to spend 15 minutes each day attacking these messy areas.
But when I don’t check that item off my list, it automatically gets moved to the next day. So now I have 30 minutes of cleaning to do.
The best option, of course, is to make sure that I get daily “to do” done. But sometimes that just isn’t realistic. Trying to play catch up just isn’t realistic either.
So on the days I don’t get the task done, I delete it. One the days I do complete it, I mark it as done. This way when I look back over the week or month, I will be able to identify–realistically–how much time I can devote to certain activities.
Can you catch up? Sometimes. If it’s what you want to do. Otherwise, just start from where you are and try to keep moving forward. Slow is better than stopped.
