Every so often the voice inside my head will replay the same few words over and over.
This month it’s repeating:
‘Don’t walk by’
Fortunately I’ve started hearing it when the lil’-ole-procrastination-devil (nicely attired in ruby-red from head to toe) encourages me to stroll on past the laundry basket rather than grab the handles and carry it downstairs to the utility room.
With most chores I find it really tempting to walk on by.
Or to delay the inevitable and ‘go do something less boring instead’.
(Thank you ‘Why Don’t You’ for many happy memories (the inspiration behind the above quote). Click on this link for a real trip down memory lane for us 70’s and 80’s Brit Kids – even the BBC globe is a treat! and I knew every word to the public information film off by heart).
But the chores have to be done. And to do them immediately means that not only is it a job ticked off the list, it’s also a weight of the mind.
(here’s how I’ve simplified my laundry routine to make it less of a chore!)
A little strategy I’ve employed, to keep clutter at bay, is whenever I walk past something, if it’s not in its correct place I pick it up and walk it there. Now I know this is not the most efficient use of time – but it’s certainly effective in getting the misplaced item re-homed and not forgotten about.
When you are compiling a list of things that you will get around to in your mind then your mind becomes cluttered too. The more cluttered your mind is with what you have to do, the less clear it is as to what you should do next. It can create inertia, and frustration.
And while we are on the subject of the mind (I’m feeling very philosophical since last Thursdays post) the three word saying of ‘Don’t walk by’ relates to mental clutter also.
Not dealing with something? Don’t walk by. Meet it head on. In fact, why not walk on right through it? Quicker and more effective than circumnavigating. And then it’s done and in the past.
“If you’re going through hell, keep going” – Winston Churchill
And doing laundry is definitely my idea of hell.
What’s yours?
I loooved Why Don’t You LOL and drove my kids mad quoting that whole long title to them when they were younger 😉
And I must wryly agree about Don’t Walk By – my reluctance to make that dentist’s appointment for weeks has today left me with a broken tooth and an emergency appointment that is upsetting everybody’s organisation. Duh.
I loooved Why Don’t You LOL and drove my kids mad quoting that whole long title to them when they were younger 😉
And I must wryly agree about Don’t Walk By – my reluctance to make that dentist’s appointment for weeks has today left me with a broken tooth and an emergency appointment that is upsetting everybody’s organisation. Duh.
I wish my roommate understood better about physical items creating disturbing mental clutter. His perspective is more if it’s out of sight (frex, basement) it’s out of mind.
I wish my roommate understood better about physical items creating disturbing mental clutter. His perspective is more if it’s out of sight (frex, basement) it’s out of mind.
I love that Churchill quote and can really use it right now! Eye surgery plus restrictions due to same, plus scalded hand due partly to same … but I know I have to just keep going. Thanks for that, Jo. As for “don’t walk by”, that is something else I need to remember for when things are back to normal.
Sorry to hear things are tough Jo – keep going as Churchill says!
I love that Churchill quote and can really use it right now! Eye surgery plus restrictions due to same, plus scalded hand due partly to same … but I know I have to just keep going. Thanks for that, Jo. As for “don’t walk by”, that is something else I need to remember for when things are back to normal.
Sorry to hear things are tough Jo – keep going as Churchill says!