One thing: ALL OF THE THINGS

Anyone else feeling a sense of impending deadlines? The need to cross your legs? No? It must just be me. All of those things that I wanted to get done before the baby comes are slowly slipping away from me in with a sense of can’t be bovvered. The nesting is well, nest-ed. It seems to have passed, unless of course something takes over me in the next 2 weeks. Let’s not call it yet, but lets admit that the couch looks far more enticing than cleaning out our garage. It was bound to happen.

But last week after days of rain and being cooped up inside with piles of “stuff” on my desk and all around I had enough. I was going to tackle my to-do list (the every day one that has some items on it for months) and see what I could do.

For those of you not playing along, #onething is where I do just ONE THING from my to-do list, but not your every day to-do list. Oh no, this is the list of non essential items that sort of kind of need to get done but it’s no biggie if they don’t get done until next week, or next month, or um, next year. Those things. Just one. Every week.

So my one thing, was actually my ALL THE THINGS. And it counts, it just does OK? And some of those every day things have now been there for months so they have moved into the #onething category.

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Every week I spend a few minutes transferring things like this from one day to the next to the next week. I wonder how many times I re-write these things? Sometimes a dozen…maybe more. It’s like watching bananas go off in my fruit bowl, I know what’s going to happen and yet I persist in buying more. I know I won’t book that car in for service, but I’ll re-write it for Thursday just in case the urge takes over. It never does.

You might remember that a while ago I wrote a post on how I do my diary and to-do list around these parts. Well I mostly stick to that, but I have recently added a to-do app into my phone which has been a great help.

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Any. DO has been an app I have been using for the past few months which has become my kind of “master list”. I’ve got my paper diary that sits on my bench top that I need for everyone in the family to see. It has all our events in there (appointments, birthdays etc) but also some things that need doing: work deadlines for me, things I jot down that need picking up, that kind of thing, but I found that when I was out in town I would totally forget what was in there. Sometimes I would take a photo of the day so I had it with me, but then I would forget to do that too.

So instead, I downloaded this free app and have been using it to refer to for daily stuff that needs doing.

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I love the notion of “someday”. That’s the #onething list.

Last week this thing was hanging over my head. Little bits of paper, diary notes, shit on my desk, in my head I had enough! I transferred it all into here which gave me a big list. Book dog into groomer. Get car serviced. Get garage door fixed from last year. Apply for PO Box. Pick up mail. Buy some pens and pencils. ALL OF THE THINGS.

And I did them! Well quite a lot of them swiping them off my list (a very satisfying thing to do when you complete your task) feeling better with each phone call made, each appointment confirmed. That car is booked in (next week if you’re interested). The dog is going to the groomer tomorrow and the garage door is hopefully being fixed at 8.30am as well and I got some candles too that I know you were worried about.

Stuff? DONE.

I keep adding to that list, and some days some things get taken off. Soon enough I will be adding things in like: have a shower. Change the bed linen. Stuff that I do in a heartbeat now but will soon enough be a big deal if I can get them done.

How do you manage your to-do’s?
What was your one thing this week?
Go choose something, right now, just have a look around and there will be something waiting…

Comments

  1. I’m still a paper list person, mostly because it’s faster for me and I’m not above writing already completed jobs down, just for the satisfaction of crossing them off!

  2. I use Wunderlist and have it synced with my husband – so we can both add-to/consult the grocery list, and keep track of things to do around the house. Revolutionary!

    I particularly enjoy adding “clean up EVERYTHING” to our to-do list, then assigning it to him. It’s the small things that amuse me…

  3. Hah! As always you crack me up and prove to me that you are my spirit animal. We have a new demi au pair staying with us and I sat down last night and showed her my family calendar, my diary and the weekly calendar that has all the regular weekly events on it – swimming lessons etc. As I was showing her I kept thinking, I really must do something about these multiple lists and calendars. Michael has been bovvering me about Any Do for a while and I’ve been putting it off. So my #onething? Master Any do!

    Very relieved to hear car is booked in. Can’t have our baby travelling in an unserviced car.

  4. love your thought processes and your forthrightness ha! Today I tidied my bedroom drawers…they have been messy for a while….I don’t have a to do list really…I just fly by the seat of my pants! Oh, the cleaner comes today so that means I do a general tidy up before she gets here…am I crazy?

  5. I manage my to dos by never letting them pile up, getting up early, going to bed late and never stopping. God only knows how much more I could achieve if I didn’t have that 8 to 5 gig at the Coalface. Meanwhile I like an old fashioned scrap of paper to write stuff on. Nothing beats crossing things off. I have ironed my bodyweight today. So calming x

  6. I love me a To Do list! I have a monthly Kikki.K planner that I use to plan all my blog posts and I use the column on the right as my To Do spot for bloggy stuff. As for other general life stuff, it’s a combo of my diary and a simple list written on a notepad. x

  7. Ha I have a million to do lists stashed all over the place – a new list for where ever I happen to be at the time that the thought pops into my head! Loving the idea of this app sooooooo my one thing will be to locate all those lists and consolidate them……I’m already loving the sense of satisfaction that will give me 🙂 Today my one thing was to tidy up and de-clutter the walkin robe – now I can’t stop going in there to admire my hard work. Thanks Beth love your blogs 🙂

  8. you are doing fine beth!;)
    I’m a totally random access girl! intuitively I waft around foofing or whatever!
    I know you are heaps more organized than me!
    but I’m here to say munyana hun! … if you can’t be bovvered today!
    resting is best for you and bub! … love m:)X

  9. Lisa Mckenzie says

    That is a great idea Beth I’m going to get that app right now,thank you xx

  10. Filing pile nearly taken care of. Cleared out two years of stuff no longer needing to keep. That’s an indication of how long it has been since I did it the last time. Whoops! I hate filing. It’s up there with cleaning the oven and going to the dentist…lol.

    As for remembering stuff, I have an Allens Calendar (big boxes for writing notes), a perpetual birthday calendar bought in Cobargo a very long time ago and lots of lists. J xo

  11. I did a big wholehearted nod in agreement when you said adding in ‘have a shower’ to your to-do list. Oh man. This is my life now.

  12. I fractured my leg in February, so the to do list in our house has become a complete joke! I’m out of plaster now but still can’t get much done and my husband is now frightened to even look at the list! Love the idea of getting one thing done a week at least that way there would be progress! Thanks 🙂

  13. Do you know Beth,
    your “Just One Thing” has revolutionised my life?
    I painted an old daggy canvas with blackboard paint and then wrote “Just One Thing” in chalk.
    It now hangs in my bathroom directly opposite my throne.
    And I have managed to complete more things of my list than EVER before, as the doom of overwhelm just doesn’t exist.
    It’s frickin’ brilliant!
    So thanks.
    Love your work.
    <3
    Pia

  14. I have piles of to do lists, sounds like I need this app. Nothing is more satisfying than swiping something off the to do list.

  15. Hi Beth, just catching up on a bit of bulk blog reading ….. thanks – you just kicked me into gear and reminded me to book my car in for a service for when we go to town in a week. God, lucky you reminded me. Bloody “things to do” makes me feel sick….

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