Time Management Part 2

Here are all the items on my to-do list:

--Finish weeding the garden
--Call the man who helps with occasional garden tasks

to schedule the work to cut back ivy and to prune shrubs
--Vacuum the floors in the house and mop up all the spots

where my dog has either slobbered or piddled on the

hard wood floors
--Grocery shop
--Write five sympathy cards
--Finish reading the Sunday Washington Post
--Begin the photo album from my son’s wedding
--Begin the Sister City picture scrapbook for 2009
--Go to Ritz camera to develop pictures for above scrapbooks
--Organize all the digital picture files on my computer
--Read the camera manual for my new digital camera

in preparation for the digital photography class I have

signed up for on October 24

Well, as much as I like to think of myself as a free spirit, I do still have a need for some order and structure in my life. Otherwise, why would I even have a “to-do”list? I like a neat, clean house and an attractive well-kept yard. I like to have healthy food on hand in my house so that I’m not tempted to snack on unhealthy foods. I am aware that I need to keep myself active socially so that I don’t become a complete hermit. As much as I’d like to just sit on my couch and watch old movies all day long, I know that it is not in my best interest to do so.

As I write this list, it becomes clear to me that some of these tasks are the long-term variety (e.g., the photo albums) and some are the one-time, get it done now variety (e.g. vacuum the floors). So, which ones should I tackle today? Do any of them really matter to anyone other than myself? Maybe I need two lists: One for the long-term tasks that need to be worked on in stages and another for the short-term, one time tasks.

Maybe it would be helpful for me to have some criteria to help me decide which are the jobs that need to be done now and which ones can wait? For example, have I considered the following?


Does this task and its completion affect anyone other than myself? Will I be letting someone down?

Have I done my share of physical activity this week? Am I due for a date with the treadmill at the YMCA?

Have I thought about my loved ones or about those who I don’t know personally but whose lives might be improved or made more cheerful by a visit or a personal note or participation in a volunteer activity from me? (What about those five sympathy cards that are sitting on my desk and haven’t been written / mailed yet?)

How will I feel at the end of the day if I do (or do not) complete this chore? Will I feel really satisfied? How much satisfaction does this particular obligation provide me anyway? Do I really need to serve on that committee? Am I over-obligated?

What have I done for myself lately? What have I done for others?

For today, just by asking myself these questions, I see that I really ought to get out those sympathy cards. Of all the jobs I have already procrastinated on, that is one job that could make a small difference in the life of a grieving friend. So maybe that’s the one to start with. And on the way to buy / mail the cards, I can stop at the grocery store for the few items I need in order to keep a healthy, well-balanced food pantry in my house. The remaining items don’t seem as pressing. Well—at least I got through this one day. Tomorrow, I’ll do a re-evaluation and start the process all over again.