I’m a list maker. Whenever I think of something, need to get something done, or just don’t want to lose an idea, I write it down. I should actually say note it down because it could be writing it on a memopad, adding it to a memo on my phone or sending myself an email. My intention is good–my follow up, not so much.
Now that I’ve been home for a few weeks and plan on being “grounded” for most of November, I’d like to use this time at home in Portland to get to some things on my to do list that have been there for a long, long time. One of my biggest challenges is accountability: not accountability to others, but accountability to myself. If I tell you I’m going to do something, it’ll get done. If I tell myself I’ll do something, it doesn’t happen or it takes a really, really long time. But knowing yourself (and your weaknesses) is the first step, right?
So here we go. Here’s 10-item list of things I want to get done this month that I’m sharing with you. Hold me accountable. Remind me of my commitment. And, if you feel up for it, help me get it done!
1. Get rid of all of the boxes in my apartment. I moved into my apartment in June…and there are still some boxes around. These are the boxes that I know are full of sentimental stuff and I wanted to take my time unpacking, but 5 months?! That’s a long time, even for me. My apartment isn’t very big and I feel like it’s always cluttered. Hmm. I wonder why. I will unpack these boxes and either find a home and place for what’s in the boxes or donate/recycle/trash the contents.
2. Read a book. Simple, I know, but somehow I haven’t made the time for this. I love to read. Growing up, I was the kid who was at the library every week, checking out as many books as I could carry. (Usually about 15 a week.) Most kids, when they got grounded, wouldn’t be allowed to watch TV. My parents were better off threatening to take away my library card. Then I discovered the internet and ICQ and MSN Messenger and my books turned into long-lost friends. I’d like to reunite with my love for reading and start making it a habit, but in order to get there, I need to start with one book at a time. (Pssst, have any suggestions on books to read?)
3. Start making and taking lunch to work again. I used to love my cafeteria at work, until they started weighing the salads and I realized that I’m really really REALLY good at making expensive salads. (I think my record was $12 something?) It’s bad. And they’re really not worth that much! I’ve always had the excuse of travel or not having enough time, but enough is enough. I have a cute lunch bag, I have the reasoning and now I just need the push to start bringing my lunch to work (except on the days where we plan to go out, that’s still allowed.)
4. Send out 10 letters/cards. In case you haven’t been able to tell yet, I’m a bit sentimental, so it should come to no surprise to you that I love snail mail. I love getting mail (that’s not bills or addressed to “Resident”), seeing/struggling to read someone’s writing and putting up said letter or card on my fridge. What’s better than getting mail though is sending mail. With all of the personalized address labels I have and considering that I might single-handedly be able to keep my local post office in business, it’s been way too long since I’ve sent out some mail and I think that needs to change. Writing cards and sending mail is one of my distressors too. When I’ve had a bad day, I would pull out my plastic folder of stamps and cards and stickers and go through my phone book and send out some cards. The writing was horrendous but it’s the thought that counts, right?
5. Start my scrapbook! I am a bit of a hoarder. How bad, you ask? On the left is a box where I’ve collected all of my stubs (concerts, events, airline tickets, movies, etc.) from last year because I felt Pinspired to do something with them. On the right is my agenda from college. Note that it says 2005-2006. While stuff like this can get tossed, there are some things that I’ve held on to that I want to do something with. Case in point: wedding invitations. Friends joke that I go to weddings like it’s my job because I go to so many–and I won’t argue that I attend many weddings–but what can I say? Love is in the air! I actually hold on to wedding invites and I’d like to create some sort of scrapbook that would organize them as well as include photos and memories from the weekend in one nifty book. I’m not looking to start and end this project this month, but definitely get started. Especially since one of my coworkers is a scrapbooking queen and I’d love to get her expert guidance!
6. Finish editing photos from 2011. I got myself a DSLR a few years ago and my favorite thing to do is take pictures at weddings, edit the photos and share them with the bride and groom. In theory, I would likely get these back to the couple before their photography. That, obviously, is not the case. I have a TON of photos, going all the way back to 2011, that need my attention. While I still shoot on Auto (I know, shame on me), I enjoy experimenting in the post-editing department. And editing takes time. (I’ve probably spent 20-30 hours on the few photo books that I’ve created from some of these weddings.) Over the summer, my excuse was that it’s way too nice outside to spend time indoors, but now that it’s wet and dark and cold out, it might be time to tackle these photos too.
7. Catch up on Breaking Bad. How I’ve been able to avoid spoilers for this long is beyond me BUT DON’T RUIN IT FOR ME NOW! The series finale of Breaking Bad coincided with my quest to win my dream job, so I had to prioritize and unfortunately Walt didn’t end up on top. Since then, life’s just been a whirlwind and I haven’t had a chance to catch up on my TV shows. (In case you were wondering, here’s the list: Suits, Law and Order: SVU, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How I Met Your Mother, Glee and Sons of Anarchy.) Now that I have some free time, I want to watch Breaking Bad, but I’m waiting for a friend to make some time as well. I introduced him to the show and from what I’ve seen and heard, the last season is too good to watch alone, so I’ll wait.
8. Transfer my “daily memory” notes from my phone to the index cards. I was inspired by this about two years ago and made myself a daily journal calendar thingamabob. The idea behind it is to write something down every day. Each of the cards in the box has a date on it, but no year. Under the date you write the year and a line about what happened that day. Over the years you add something and soon enough you’ll have this neat little way to look back to what you were doing 1, 2, 3… years ago. As I was traveling, it wasn’t realistic to take the carton with me, so I started jotting down notes in my phone with the intention and transferring it to the cards when I got back home. I now have over a year of notes on my phone and it’s time to transfer them over. (FYI: A year ago today, I was having dinner with Jill and Cristina before I moved to Phoenix and Obama was re-elected.)
9. Send out wedding presents. In line with number 6, I’m behind with editing photos and sending wedding presents. I usually have to travel when I attend weddings and I either 1) forget to take the gift or 2) want to use the photos as part of the gift. I’m behind with wedding presents and want to send them out ASAP. Not only is this rude of me (sorry married friends!) but it puts a burden on the couple as it pushes out their thank you notes too. Yikes. Sorry guys.
10. Get my inboxes to 100 or less. I get antsy when I have notifications waiting for me, whether it’s on a website, on my phone or in my email. I like to keep my inbox down to a manageable size (100 or less) but lately it’s been way bigger than that. Even worse, the inbox overload is trickling over from my work email to my personal email too. I see a lot of “Unsubscribe” clicking in my future.
That’s just a small dose of what’s on my “one day when I get time” list. Trust me, there’s more, but I’m starting with a small list to see how I fare before I take on more. What have you been putting off?
