I’ve given it out to plenty of people over the years, since I started using it after my breakdown in 2004. Make a to do list of three things and only three, and then do them, preferably early in the day.
It gives a sense of accomplishment where before there was fail. It helps you to get shit done, knowing that once there’s three little check marks on your list, you’ll smile and feel like you’re allowed to do nothing. It seems to make the whole day rosy, waking up and getting your shit done and then having the rest of the day to do…whatever with.
I’ve not followed that advice in years.
I tried this past week. I failed three days at even making a list, but i did think about making one. Three other days, I made the list and I did everything on it. And I felt great, sort of. Day seven, I thought, okay, let’s make a list of five things, but only do three.
I did two.
Here’s the fault in my logic with this three things thing: It’s all me. I can’t let the dishes pile up for longer than a day because then I can’t use either my counter or sink or stove (or all three). I can’t not prepare five to eight snacks a day (or, if gods are smiling on me and Isobel’s appetite, three meals and snacks). I can’t not bathe her when she’s covered in yogurt/felts/pens/chocolate/dirt/sand/almond butter and honey.
There’s no one else to do this stuff. There’s no picking up the slack later. And I’m okay with that. In fact I prefer it, since it’s all done right (shut up), now. But, it means that my three things are basically done the moment I get her out of her crib in the morning – and I can’t quit then.
And I need the routine, I’ve figured out. I thrived when I was a full-time student, working full-time and volunteering, too. Sure that’s when I was 19, but still, I was uber-busy which made me schedule everything in. And I kept all of those effing balls up in the air at all times.
So. I’m going to start a routine. Not just a routine. I’m going to schedule shit. Right down to the “Sunday and Wednesday nights, mop; Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday Isobel gets a bath; wash dishes at 11:45am; do a load of laundry every three days.”
I will own that shit.
Most of all, I’m excited about this, since it means order and control to the chaos. You know what else does? Doing one bigger project a day. Like yesterday, when I cleaned my fridge and the day before when I cleaned (and detailed) Isobel’s crib.
This means one thing. I’ll have a sparkling clean house, that still has a floor to small to eat off of.
