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A road map for Focus.
Babauta blogs at Zen Habits and I find his work unfailingly helpful and thought-provoking. He wrote an eBook called Focus and this illustration summarizes some of his key points for managing distraction (and may print out a copy for my university-aged son.)
Getting stuff done
It has been very easy for me to fall in to the trap of excessive time online, planning and plotting, thinking about things I'd like to do around the house, reading organizing blogs and decorating blogs and business blogs and minimalism blogs.....and then not actually DO anything.
On top of the mountain of laundry that had piled up, I had a number of nagging tasks that I had been putting off for weeks. Then I started saying "As soon as we're back from Rome, I'll get right on it." And then we got back and I got sick.
So now, feeling much better and only slightly bedeviled by allergies, I decided to hit the week running.
The top goals are/were:
Do something about the sorry state of our lawn. There was an article in the Star last last week about how to repair lawns, so I spent a good part of Monday and Tuesday raking the thatch and have started to put down a layer of new soil where the lawn is patchy. I've got 200 litres of bagged soil in my trunk from my second soil run, and I"ll get that spread tomorrow. I've also got some good quality grass seed that I'm sowing over the soil. It looks like we're going to get some rain over the next few days, so that will help. Status: Half-done. To be finished tomorrow.
Replace the hideous window coverings in the master bedroom. They probably weren't hideous when they were first installed, and probably matched the previous owner's decor, but they are faded, dusty, brown-coloured balloon shades. The strings are broken and the seams are coming apart. So after doing the measurements, I headed out to Ikea yesterday and picked up some sheers, some chocolate brown panels, and curtain rods. We needed a total of six of each panel as we're in a corner room with a double window on one side and a bay window on the other. I've got some elbow issues right now, so I'll need Z's help to get the rods installed as I don't want to put pressure on my joint with a screwdriver or power driver. Status: Measuring and shopping done. Installation to be done this weekend.
Get a new washer/dryer. We have the machines that came with the house. The washing machine is ancient, doesn't spin well, and is leaking oil. So it's gotta go. I want a stackable pair as space is at a premium, so I spent some time on Monday researching machines, and whaddya know? The top rated front-loading washer is on sale at Sears at the moment. So I plan to order it in the next day or so. The city picks up old appliances free with a phone call in advance, so nothing to be done re disposal. And they offer a $60 rebate when you purchase a high-efficiency washer. Status: Research complete. Rebate form printed.
Taxes: Canadian taxes are due at the end of April. Before we went on holidays, I downloaded the current tax software, (electronically) transferred the data from last years returns, and did Alex's (very easy) return. Today, I did Z's and mine, and e-filed all three of them. Status: Done! Done! Done!
Laundry: I don't know how it happens, but it piles up! It took me a long time to get all our vacation laundry done because I was sick, But it seems that as soon as I had it all put away, there were overflowing baskets of dirty stuff. So today I sorted it all and got started. Status: Two loads done. Two loads in progress. Two loads left to do.
I've had a bunch to mini-tasks to do which I've managed to check off with some ferocity. Shoes and a watch to their respective repair shops. Getting some Canada Pension Plan info. Groceries, shopping, chauffeuring, dog-walking. You know the drill. But it's these things above that have made this week seem so productive. And it's only Wednesday!
I've been using this excellent Daily Docket from Simple Mom to organize my days. It really helps me stay on track and not get lost in online wanderings or excessive book-reading-napping. I print one first thing in the morning and fill it out while I'm having coffee. It also helps that I've started trying to get up a little earlier each morning now that I'm feeling well. I'm all done breakfast by 8 and have a good start on the day.
Obligatory Post about New Years Resolutions
On mental energy: I need to create a calm and organized home. If I see order around me, my stress level goes down and I'm able to relax and enjoy my family much more. I have a number of great resources on this front, but for the purposes of setting a resolution, I want to spend some time each day following suggestions made by one or more of The Clutter Diet, Home Sanctuary, or My Simpler Life. I also pledge to keep a running To-Do list, or bucket, per Getting Things Done's "Collect" phase.. I think of this as a brain dump, a way to manage stress by getting all the free-floating to-dos out of my head and onto a list so that I don't forget them, and spend my precious mental energy trying to remember stuff.Finally, I commit to blogging every day. I did it in November, and the first part of December, and loved it.I'm using an iPhone app called Touch Goal to manage my goals, and am currently using the built-in iPhone To Do list (which isn't very good). It doesn't let me assign a start date or due date to items, so it's a bit lame. But there are lots of apps for that. I just need to sort through them.It seems like a lot, as I write it all out, but many of these habits are already (or have already been) part of my life at one point or another. To summarize:Body: no food after 8 pm, in bed by 10 pm, and exercise 30+ minutes per day.
Mind: one declutter task per day, running to-do list, blog every day.
2010 Declutter Calendar
Clutter Diet - Week 2
Kitchen ledge after: Ahhhhh...
Filing cabinet before: Note bottle of Chinese rice liquor is sitting just three feet from where it belongs in the liquor cabinet. There is also a stack of financial and other paperwork, most of which is filed in binders in another room and doesn't belong there.
Filing cabinet after: Ahhh...nice and clear, with just a piece of artwork
But the other two big unscheduled tasks this week were the fridge and the master closet. The fridge was LONG overdue to be cleaned and we got rid of half a garbage bag of take-out boxes, old rotting sauces and condiments, and moldy leftovers (which we don't normally have, with a teen boy eating them at 10 pm most nights). The fridge itself was also rather filthy, so it's now gorgeously white, decluttered, and sparkly.I was able to get Z to focus on the master closet this weekend, as he has been setting up his new office in our recently departed-for-university son's bedroom (sorry, Alex!). We got rid of 2 bags of clothing that will be donated at the monthly St. Vincent-de-Paul Bundle Sunday coming up next weekend at our parish. Everything is dusted, spacious, and tidy, with nothing on the floor except for some shoes and the laundry basket. It's quite a small closet for two people, so tidying it up really makes a difference. So while I didn't get all my proscribed tasks done, I believe that the decluttering mindset is rippling through the household, and we're getting some other long overdue projects out of the way.
Thanks to the Clutter Diet people for spurring me on to accomplish these large tasks. It's great to have a resource like that to give you a list and make you accountable. They have message boards where you can compare notes with other declutterers and get advice from the pros. I hadn't been able to motivate myself on my own, so the small subscription fee is definitely worth it to me.
August Declutter Challenge: Week 2
Here are the results for Week 2:Item 1: two bottles of Barbeque sauce. We don't use bottled barbeque sauce. Plus, they had expired. Not sure how we got them in the first place. Dumped sauce and recycled bottles.
Item 7: Stuffed monkey with magnetic feet. Promo item from Zs work but is in danger of becoming a dog toy leading to large vet bills when dog rips toy apart and swallows magnets. Goodwill.
August Declutter Challenge: Week 1
It's been a while...
- Became godmother to William Joseph. Spent 5 days in Berkeley CA where my brother and his family live and enjoyed very much the ceremony (which took place DURING mass, and was great) and the party aferwards.
- The boys finished their first year of school here in Toronto. Alex has one more year before he heads off to university.
- Alex got his first job, as a grocery clerk at our local No Frills. It's four blocks from home which is great, but he hasn't been scheduled for many hours yet. He's enjoying the paycheque though. He bought an iPod shuffle to run with and is suddenly hyper-aware of how much everything costs.
- Alex is taking Driver's Ed this week. Yikes! How did that happen?
- Michael got contact lenses yesterday.
- We replaced five feet of our kitchen counter (a peninsula) that was damaged, and installed a new sink and faucet, and....wait for it....a new dishwasher. Our old one sounded like a jet plane and prevented conversation pretty much anywhere on the main floor of the house. The new baby is flush with features, and you pretty much have to put your hand on it to figure out if it is running. Yesterday, I ran the "Top Only" cycle after breakfast which saves water and frees up space to get the rest of the days dishes in by the evening.
- I have started listening to a very inspiring audio book on decluttering (It's All Too Much by Peter Walsh). I gave away all my scrapbooking supplies to a (very grateful) cousin, and a pile of art stuff to Michael's art teacher. I listed a bunch of books to sell on Amazon.ca and give away on Book Mooch. I've got a long way to go, but it feels good so far.
Three bags of shreddies
Front Hall Closet Makeover
And the floor was crowded with shoes that haven't been worn recently, brooms and mops, a gym bag, etc.
After: I started by moving the brooms to a basement closet where I installed hooks to hold them all. I purchased four clear plastic bins and labeled them with their new owners' names.
The hanging shoe rack will be limited to slippers or other indoor shoes, and dog walking apparatus (leashes, bags, and paper towels for cleaning his feet after a walk).
