Getting organized is both a mental and a physical task
Here it is, the first weekend of May already. Spring is finally here up in the north, with tulips starting to bloom, leaves peeping on trees. Yesterday was free comic book day, today is Star Wars day (May the 4th be with you). I need to do spring cleaning. In my head. The physical mess is obvious in our house, with hoard-like piles of clutter in corners and disastrous storage areas, but the clutter in my head needs to be dealt with as well.
Work: Summer reading is rushing towards me, and I need to finalize plans and put together a great kick-off. I need to pare down some of my grandiose schemes and make lists of supplies. This year I am going to have the most help that I’ve ever had, and some of the stress I am feeling is because I forget that fact.
Writing: My deadline for self-publishing my book was originally the beginning of April, then reset to the beginning of May. I am reworking the ending and then I need to take a deep breath and do the launch. This time around I’m going to try more venues, follow advice I’ve been given, and do some promotion.
Recreation: I need to sit down with my calendar and make sure that fun is not pushed away to “some day” or “next year’s vacation.” Fun should be weekly. Ideally, it should be daily! Fun does not have to mean expensive or all-day, even small, simple things can mean a lot. I want to plan gaming, parties, expeditions, movies, books, crafting and play. I need to set aside time with my husband and kids to do things other than chores.
Projects and chores: My to-do list needs a spring cleaning too. There are things on the list that are not necessary or could be done less frequently. There are things missing from the list that need to go on there. That takes some big-picture thinking, instead of plodding along with my head down, doing whatever presents itself.
So just like de-cluttering of a bedroom, I have three boxes. Keep, discard and put somewhere else. In this case, “put somewhere else” means either delegating, delaying or doing in a different way.
Does anyone else do mental spring cleaning?
