one thing at a time

one thing at a time.

one thing at a time.

baby steps.

things seem so overwhelming sometimes. i think i’m on top of it all because i have 48 little piles of things on my desk or on my floor, and this somehow makes me organized. but nothing gets done. i keep shifting piles and not doing ANY of the tasks no matter how small, because it being in a pile of things to take somewhere or on a list of things to do makes me think that i’m staying ahead of the game.

examples: send this form in. glue this picture frame back together. take these coupons downstairs and put them in the coupon bin. put this pile of things in my work satchel. take this stuff back to the bathroom. throw this pile away. get the songs off this cd. put this pile of stuff in a box for the attic. put the box in the attic. write checks to these charities. send these subscription cards in.

but something being “on the list” does not make it “done.” i make lists and piles all the time but lack the motivation to actually tackle any of the tasks. it’s overwhelming.

so…

i constantly have to remind myself: baby steps. one thing at a time. don’t think about the rest. just pick one thing and do it, that’s all. just one.

i can get a sense of accomplishment out of doing just one tiny thing. really. but i forget that sometimes (ok, all the time) in my quest to be as efficient as possible. it’s like i want to pick up all the piles of things and walk on a route throughout the house, distributing everything where it needs to go, making stops to take any necessary actions, and at the end i’ll be emptyhanded and have accomplished IT ALL! ALL of it in one fell swoop.

which is, of course, ridiculous. i can only do that when i get on a manic swing, which only happens once every month or two.

i actually wrote at the top of the list this afternoon, in big red letters: ONE THING AT A TIME.

and i picked one thing (gluing the picture frame back together) and i didn’t let myself think about all the other things i could carry downstairs on my way out to the garage to get the glue. i picked up the frame, took it to the garage, glued it, and came back upstairs. and crossed it off my list.

it was a start.