As you know, last Friday I posted what I realized was an aggressive list for Finish it Friday. Since the weekend is when I have my biggest block of “do-stuff-around-the-house” time, I love the idea of starting the weekend with a to-do list—a.k.a. my Finish It Friday list. My list helps me stay focused during the weekend, which means more things get done than if I didn’t have a list or a plan.
Now, from working with clients and online workshop participants, I know there are those of you out there who avoid planning because you feel like if you make a plan you have to follow it. The thinking goes something along the lines of this: If I make a list for the weekend and don’t check everything off the list then I feel like I’ve failed.
Ouch! That is pretty high stakes stuff. Do it all or you’ve failed. I can see why you’d resist creating a plan if success or failure was that black and white!
My approach to planning is a bit more flexible. See, I didn’t finish my entire list this weekend, but I did get an awful lot done. I don’t think I failed at all. What do you think? Here’s what I checked off my list:
- List three items on Craig’s list.Partial check. One item was listed, the other two are closer to being listed, but not quite done.
- Straighten up the basement back room.Check – and well worth the effort. Yay!
- (Start) and finish cleaning the house!Check!
- Transfer photos to jump drive for my family in Michigan. Check!
- Order samples for master bedroom window blinds.Check!
- Paint a picture frame.Check!
- Finish up my projects for Get Organized for the Holidays. Nope…but hey, that’s what today’s for, right?
So…did I fail? Well, first let’s explore why those other things didn’t get done. In a nutshell, I got a better offer (or made a better plan.) Yesterday, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful October afternoon and go on family outing to the pumpkin farm. We left the house at noon for some much needed clothes shopping for the kids, and then headed to the pumpkin farm. We returned home at about 8:30 PM after dinner at Jay’s parents. Long story short—there wasn’t much time to get things done yesterday! And that was fine by me. Because I made my plan on Friday, I got a lot of stuff done on Saturday. Even though all I did was post one thing on Craig’s list and put a second coat on that picture frame—I wasn’t at all taunted by my to-do list yesterday. I knew the world wasn’t going to come to a screeching halt if my other two items weren’t listed, and I knew that I could finish up the holiday class projects today. So…it was all good.
The moral of the story is this. When you make a plan, even something as simple as a weekend to-do list, you don’t have to get it all done to be successful. This isn’t a case of all or nothing. Anything you check off your list is a success. Every check mark is progress. Every check mark is a step forward.
So if you avoid making plans or even to-do lists due to fear of failure, try reframing your thinking. To-do lists and plans aren’t all or nothing propositions, nor are they set in stone. They’re a tool to make it easier to get things done—and they do work! So give planning a try and give yourself the permission to keep it flexible! You can change it, tweak it, delete things, and defer things to your heart’s content. Remember, the best laid plans are flexible.
So…I’d love to hear from you. What works for you when it comes to planning, making to-do lists and getting things done? Do you love lists or avoid them like the plague? Or, if you’d like to share what you finished this weekend, you know I’d love to hear! (And thank you to Brenda, Mikia and Cheryl for joining me in Finish it Friday! And Michelle, I look forward to hearing from you next week.)
Happy Monday!
Nothing like having some fun family time. This weekend we had a wedding and fun was needed since I’ve been really working hard on the house. I make list and that keeps me on track. You had several great points about not getting everything done.
I did get a few things done:
1. Wash
2. Ceiling Fan is installed in my office
3. Dropped off my spare glasses to get the prescription updated
4. Grocery shopping done
5. Pictures hung in bathroom and dining room
6. Purchased kitchen curtains, sheets and a housewarming gift
7. Started my nieces bridal shower thank you cards
8. Finished cleaning the last closet-they’re de-cluttered and organized – Woohoo!!!! I’m so tickled it’s been a long 7 weeks but I did it!!!
Have a great day!
My list for this weekend had one main thing: cleaning the garage. And we did it! We emptied the entire thing, hauled off 3 truckloads of stuff, pressure washed the garage floor and brought back what we’re keeping. It feels gooood.
On that topic, any tips for what to do with college textbooks? How do I know if they are worth trying to sell or where they could be donated? We’ve got tons.
As for lists, I am a HUGE list maker. I can’t function without a daily to do list. I’m not too hard on myself though, if I can’t get everything done, I move it to the next day or to a day that will work better for me.
Hi Cammi,
I donated my college text books to a local university. They were happy to have them. Those that they couldn’t use they put in their book sale. How old are your books? If they’re quite old, my guess would be they aren’t worth trying to sell. But, if they’re fairly recent, it could be worthwhile. I would do a google search in your area and see what you can find out as far as alternatives for selling and or donating them.
Good job with your garage…and good luck with the books!
Aby
Hi Aby!
Well, I also had a long list and I finished it… sort of…
Here’s the story:
All of the inside stuff got done except for putting away, I ran out of steam by then, the otside stuff got done and then, rain thraten to come today so I had to take half of the stuff down since it is not rain friendly….. So I guess my list for next friday its also ready…
Wow, you accomplished a lot! I tend to overbook my day with my lists. I assume I can get more done than I actually can…but I also am guilty of spending time on the things I love and not doing any of the things I need to do. That’s why I like this, if I know I have to finish it on Friday anyway, maybe I’ll be more apt to start some of it during week. I’ll let you know my list on Friday. 🙂
I like to break up my to do list into smaller chunks, so, for example, instead of writing “clean out the furnace room” I would write “spend 15 min. cleaning out the furnace room”. Usually, after spending 15 min. doing something I will just keep doing it. If I get the entire project finished – great – but if I really only spend 15 min. working on it, I can still check off that item and I don’t feel like a failure.
We had family fun time too, which cut into my getting things done. But it was great.
I did get the floor mopped. Yea!
I actually did not make a written list, but a mental list in my head. I was able to get a few things done and crossed off my mental list like counting box tops for my son’s school, ran errands (Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart), gathered magazines to donate, washed and ironed clothes, gathered items for my son’s project (Samaritans Purse shoe boxes for kids), and finally we put together the Halloween cups with treats for my son’s class. I think we accomplished a lot of things this weekend and still managed to have time to watch a little tv. I am going to make a written list for this Friday coming up. I have plenty of things that need to be done.
I bought a chest of drawers at IKEA, put it together, and bought pretty blue baskets for my master bedroom closet. I’ve gone from having no drawers at all to having more than enough! I purged 2 categories of my clothes, so only those that fit and are in style remain.
I love lists and have been doing the finish it Friday for awhile now. I just do not seem to get it posted on line. It is a great feeling to check something off a list especially if it is that thing that you dread doing. With Thanksgiving coming up I am making a master list of things I need/ would like to get done. When there are a lot of extras to do for an event or holiday, I have found that breaking it down into week timeframes in advance means I am not overwhelmed one week before the celebration. If it looks like I shall not have time to do everything, I start crossing off what is not really necessary. Also having a list means other people in the family can see with what they might be able to help. I love lists, but I shall not let them rule my life. It is important to be flexible.
I use a rolling or running ‘to do list’, like Deniece Schofield suggests in her book. I have in my diary things to be done on that day, but I look through the ‘running to do list’also to see if I could put in anything else. It works well, when I take the time to plan, and I was surprised I didn’t feel guilty at not getting things done. I think the feeling of being organised superceded any other feeling.
I am a list-person – usually, I have a piece of paper in my calender/notebook and whenever a task crosses my mind, I write it down. Also tiny things like “take out meat to thaw” or “water plants” or the like. Therefore my lists get veeeery long but the tasks are quick and I can cross off a lot of them! 😉
When they get overwhelming, I color-code the things that I want to do today so when I get home, I don’t get lost in something that’s important but not urgent.
for me it works quite well although I am sure I could find more efficient ways of working. Still – I LOVE my lists!
I haven’t participated in Finish-it-Friday yet – but it’s on my list! :-)))
I started cleaning up my basement. We were doing renovations upstairs and a TON of stuff got thrown downstairs. In under 2 hours I could see the floor (it was just a one layer kinda of mess, not a piled to the ceiling). One daughter helped me while the other went outside with my husband and cleaned up a bit and took some garbage away.
I didn’t finish the basement. I have a small collection of stuff that has to be put into the storage room. But I choose to pile it outside the door. This way I won’t just throw it into the room, making yet another mess.
I love making lists, I’m not so good at getting the things done on my list, but I love making the lists, lol.
Hubby was home for fall break (he’s a teacher) so our weekend lasted till yesterday. We had some great family time at a Corn Maize, hanging at the house, storytime, errands and a great breakfast yesterday.
We also bought and installed 2 new shelves for our kitchen pantry. Then I threw out old stuff, cleaned and organized it all! Now school lunch items have a home, the kids can reach their snacks, and their is room for our extra pantry items that I stock up on when I find a great deal! Even my 7 yr old daughter kept commenting on how nice and clean it was and how ‘We can actually stand in the pantry now!’
I do have one question for you…. How do you deal with those comfy clothes that you wear in the evening but don’t wear long enough to go in the hamper? Do you know what I mean? We have a loveseat in the bedroom and a stool in the bathroom that end up getting covered with pj’s and these comfy clothes all the time; hubby’s shorts & t-shirts, my sweatpants & shirts. Any thoughts?
Love your blog & thanks for all the information & tips you share!!
I love lists because, by writing an item down, I free myself from having to remember it. When I’m trying to remember it, I can’t let it go, and I just keep thinking about it. But once its on a list, it’ll always be there until I do it…it’s not going anywhere! And I can use my brain space for more pleasant tasks than worrying.