A view from the back deck
To do lists are wonderful time management tools. I find them extremely helpful in accomplishing tasks. Sometimes though, I begin to think this way. Like, okay Elise – you need to this first, and then this, and then this, and then this…and then when that is done you can relax. So, I end up putting off relaxation – when usually it is sorely needed right then.
This week, I had the pleasure of staining a new outdoor bench and flowerbox combo my hubbie custom built for our back deck. It was a beautiful day, I was outside, and I was getting something done. Yet, I found this fascinating internal conversation happening that went something like this: “What a great day…gosh I love this bench…this stain is beautiful…this is gonna look so great…you should do this a little faster….why – it’s a great day – you love the outdoors….oh yeh – right….this is cool….after this I’m gonna write for my blog….yeh you should go a little faster so you can get on that….and have you started the bread yet….check the menu and see if you need to get anything out of the freezer for dinner to defrost…what are you doing – enjoy the time outside right now…wait what time is your conference call….it’s not for 3 hours – listen to the birds and be happy darn it.” Sound familiar?
I was initially surprised by this internal conversation. Yet, the more I tried to just observe and ask myself how I could learn from it…the more relaxed I became. I was able to enjoy my time outside after all.
I feel this type of to-do list thinking is societal mind clutter. We have a lot of balls in the air, and we are all trying our best to keep them up there. Sometimes though, it is good to let them bounce down and see where they land. Let them go and see what happens. I have found, and honestly sometime to my utter surprise, that the world does not crumble if I let go of all I think I need to do. Truthfully, I usually just end up happier and more relaxed. Pretty cool huh?
