Forced Organization

Make a list, do stuff on each line, move to the next line.

Don't procrastinate, do what's on the next line.

Great advice!!



I'm going away and I'm going crazy with the details.

I tend more towards last minute panic than a smooth relaxed way of getting things done.

My router has been kicking me offline about every 3 minutes - so that has become A#1 important because well... it's the INTERNET! Goodness, how can I live without it.

I canceled my hair appointment in November and haven't rescheduled. I was going every 8 weeks for the past two years and I haven't been back since my last appointment in September. I look a bit ragged, my highlights are now about 4" lower than they should be.

My vet has been mailing me appointment cards for months now --I need to get Mocha-darling in for her checkup.

I have a doctors appointment for myself scheduled for 8am the day we come home from Ireland. That has to be changed.

There is a speech that I have heard several times given by Zig Ziglar. When I googled it, I found this version from The Life of a Publisher.

The Life of a Publisher. He (Zig Ziglar) talks about the "Day before vacation task list." You do know what that is, right?

Okay, on the day before vacation, we make a list of things that need to be taken care of before we leave. If you're like most people, you actually get more done on that day than just about any other day. Your productivity skyrockets and you somehow manage to get everything done. It's inspiring! And the best part is that it was easy.

Think about it. If you did that every day, how great would your life be? You don't need to sit around and wait for inspiration to strike, you can jump right into it and get it all done with ease.

I am like a machine the day before vacation. I have a million things to do & I do them all plus the few hundred things that I forgot to put on the list. I then crawl into bed and sleep a few meager hours, before the flight or the trip or whatever I'm doing and I'm exhausted that whole day. I'm also pretty cranky.

This time I don't want to be exhausted getting on the plane. I want to be well rested and stress free because airline travel is hectic enough without my nerves being worn thin before I even arrive at the airport.

So I made my list last night before I went to bed and today I have been checking off the items on the list. I changed the doctors appointment, made the vet appointment, made the hair appointment. I'm having a lunch with my neighbor on Friday (George, who is moving away) - the whole 5th floor is going on Friday. I had the internet guy coming out at 2pm, but that's when the group decided to have the lunch - so I reworked the schedule and he's coming earlier to work on the computer.

I bought a luggage scale a few months ago because I'm an over-packer. I barely make it under the 50# bag weight. (For no additional fee) but on our trip overseas, one of our flights allows us to only take 33# or maybe it's 35# - whatever it is, it's been stressing me out. So much so, that I've been having dreams about packing my suitcase. It's a loop. I pack and repack and pack and repack. Over and over.

Today I got my luggage and decided to weigh it and see what the starting weight would be. OMGoodness! The suitcase I was planning on taking weighed 13# empty. It's staying home.

I have another suitcase - sort of a dufflebag on wheels - it weighs 4#. It's going to Ireland!

I packed the bag with my clothing - about 5 days worth. It weighed #15. I didn't get my blanket, pillow or toiletries in there but I'm pleased with the weight so far. I think maybe this activity today will help with the packing dreams. I'm sure TOm won't use up his 35# limit, so he's going to end up taking my second pair of shoes :) I'm taking white tennis shoes for day and black tennis shoes for night.

I give other people this type of advice all the time it's about time I followed it.

Make a list, put everything on the list, get it out of your brain so you don't have to constantly try to remember everything. Then work on reducing the items on the list.

Amazing.

Oh, and did I mention that I got my passport in the mail the other day? So now I'm really able to go.

Have a great day!
Kristin