I’d guess that I’m looking forward to 2009 more than the average person. With all of the bad we’ve had this year, I’m planning to consider that big ball in Times Square on Dec. 31 my executioner’s axe, cutting off all of the frustration, the anger, the worry and the heartbreak of 2008 and leaving it behind as we embrace the new year.
Which means I’d better start working on a plan for 2009.
I’m a lousy planner, I’ll admit. Something inside of me wants desperately to be organized – always aware of everything coming up and never found scraping things together at the last minute. But no matter how much I want to be that way, I eventually go back to being the girl who flies by the seat of her (worn thrice because she forgot to do laundry) pants.
One benefit of nursing school is that it forces me to organize. We are taught to prioritize and organize our day so the insurmountable mountain of tasks is whittled down to an acceptable level without the need to stay late. Prioritizing is probably the one skill out of all of the organization skills that I’ve taken a liking to.
It’s far too easy for me to hop from one project to whatever crosses my mind next, never stopping to think about if that new task is really important enough to override other items on my to-do list. That task is soon followed by another mental burst to go do something else, often leaving task #2 unfinished. (ADD much? My doctor even agrees with me now.)
2009 will be my year of the priority list. I’ve made every attempt to not turn into my mom and aunts with their neurotic ability to make list after list for everything from groceries to gift lists to who to call. But I have to admit – lists are helpful. Less helpful, though, is a jumbled to-do list that ranks throw away the Christmas lights that don’t work higher than buy cat food so your poor pets don’t walk out on you and charge you with neglect only because I thought of it first while writing.
Hopefully keeping prioritized (maybe color coded? Hmmm…might need to consider that idea) lists will help me stay on track. And we all know I need it. Like most moms, I have a lot of different hats to wear, and each has its own set of responsibilities. I’m responsible for paying the bills, some housework, Cordy’s school notices and permission slips, my schoolwork and clinical time, doctor appts. for both kids, setting up therapy appts. for Cordy, any type of appointments for me, grocery shopping, three blogs, three cats, two kids and a partridge in a pear tree. OK, the last one isn’t true. But I do have to keep the birdfeeder filled with birdseed.
(Let’s not even begin to count things I’d like to do, such as paint some of the rooms in our house and hang shit on the walls so I won’t feel like I’m still living in my old college apartment.)
Who knows? Maybe tackling tasks in an organized manner will give me a little more time in my life? I could think of a lot of uses for a little more spare time.
I could probably make a list of all of those free time ideas, too.
This post is part of the last PBN blog blast of the year, sponsored by Big Tent. Here’s hoping we all have a more organized 2009.
I completely understand what you mean. Right now I have a whiteboard that I write all my jumbles of stuff for the day on and a tiny calendar that’s packed with everything else. I used to be very organized and do color coding (which was great!), but now I feel I don’t have time for that!
Best of luck to you in 2009, not only in organization, but in everything else.
At work? I’m hyperorganized and the bane of my coworkers who wonder how I have time to relax during a shift.
At home? I haven’t seen my coffee table since I moved in and my kitchen is threatening to walk out if I don’t clean it.
*sigh*
so i think i’m ADD as well and a checklist says it’s likely. but. i digress. my counselor gave me an idea that works (when i do it). i keep a notebook (smallish one) in my purse. it’s like a date book where i can write important things i need to do. anyhow, the trick, for me, is to LOOK AT IT! it really helped to keep me on top of some stuff. so when i found out about soemthin that i needed to do/return/etc. i’d just put it in the book.
i really need to get back to doing that…..
I so want to be more organized–I’m going to try harder next year too. 🙂
also..what i’ve learned is organizing electronically works best..does your phone have any sort of task list or calander? i liked using my phone before because i knew i always had that with me
Good luck with the flurry of organizing.
Right there with you. Although it can get a bit overwhelming, I find Flylady very helpful. When I do it daily that is. http://www.flylady.net/
I’m a listmaker. I guess my goal would be to actually be able to check some things off my lists. I like to keep them in a small notebook in my purse, I think it’s about 3×4 or so. Anyway, I write things down in one list when I think of them throughout the day (or more than one, if there are many things that are related in two or three groups). At the end of the day, the goal is to look at the list, and then I prioritize them by putting a number next to each one (1 being of most importance). So if I have 10 things on my to-do list and I only get the top three done, it’s still a better day than if I get the bottom five done.
This has inspired me to make a list of accomplishments I’d like to make in 2009. I need to start using a planner again – I did that in college and it was incredibly effective for me. Back then, I even sent out cards on time!
But to do so, I’ll need to buy a bigger purse. Oh, the decisions and the efforts at organization… good luck to you!
I could have written this post, it’s so like me. I seriously have adult ADD, I think. I go from one thought, or task to another in an instant. I’m totally disorganized, too and really wish I had inherited the organizational gene from my dad who had such a meticulous workspace.