Great Intentions

I start the weeks with Great Intentions. Coffee mug full, my planner charted, my days rich in accomplished tasks. Productivity flourishes. Results guaranteed. Then--oops, reality hits.

The problem - my list this Monday looks pretty much like it did last Monday. With Great Intentions.
I would like to point a finger at interruptions and events beyond myself. The difficulty is me.

"I'm tired."
"I don't feel like sorting that file right now."
"I don't feel like exercising this morning."
"I don't want to scrub that shower."
Or, "I feel like eating that brownie."

Instead of doing what I plan, I go by feelings-of-the-moment. And at the end of the day, or the week, the lack of checked off accomplishments is discouraging. Part of the problem is being on idea overload. I read too many books or magazines or spend too much time on-line reading about cleaning, or organizing, or writing, or home teaching, or health, or nutrition; instead I miss the actual doing. The reality.

Have you heard the term, "Reverse Engineering?" Chalene Johnson, in her book, Push, explains reverse engineering as a way to achieve a goal. Think of the goal, accomplished. Then, work backward, through all the individual, small, steps that would be involved in meeting that goal. Begin the steps, one by one, in order to accomplish the goal. It is a helpful way to focus and clarify the needed tasks. (But you still have to do them.)

                   REVERSE ENGINEERING

One of my projects this week is sewing a dress for upcoming weddings. Last week  I set aside twenty minutes in my planner for three days. Small chunks of time. Twenty minutes doesn't seem like a major chunk out of my day. It seems quite do-able to fit in a mere twenty minutes. I might not have finished, but, I didn't even start.

Also, the file drawers I want to sort out. Condensing six file drawers down to three, part of my "get rid of half" mantra. Sounds monumental. Overwhelming. It is. But it won't get done by thinking about it or looking at it. Little chunks, set the timer, or do just a few files at a time, a little bit each day.

 Great Intentions can become more than targets. Shall I let you know on Friday how I do this week?



As a balance point, I realize the value of time is not in productivity alone. Time spent with the guys, time to study and learn, time to enjoy and thrive in all that is going on around here, time talking with distant, grown kids - these are the vital activities that do not go into my planner because they are already part of my days, part of life. It is the extra tasks, the in-addition jobs that I ignore far too easily. Without getting too philosophical, life is not about the doing, but about the living. Savoring, appreciating, thriving in each beautiful day.

Great Intentions. Reverse Engineering. The joy of life.
How do you balance the doing tasks with the living?

Denim Quilt

I made a similar denim quilt before we were married, thirty six years ago.  Over the years, it became worn and torn.  My idea was to take it apart and use the pieces to re-make it into a new quilt, but when I took it apart, it disintegrated into shreds.  A few of the denim pieces were redeemable, but most of this quilt is newly cut from old jeans and scraps from my fabric collection.  The old quilt was heavy and warm.  Not sure why, but this one is lightweight, a good summer quilt.  I switched it out today with the heavier winter quilt, ready for the warmer nights of the season.

 This quilt was made with old, unwearable jeans and random pieces of fabric.  The old and frayed and the random, with a little bit of work, becomes useful again. Hopefully that will be true for those of us (all of us) who are getting a little older and a little more frayed each day. Notice I did not  say more random each day...

Mending

"Mom, my shoulder ripped out on this shirt."
"Throw it on the machine, I'll fix it later."
"Mom, my pants don't fit any more, can you take them in?"
"Toss them on the machine, I'll sew them up later."

This is the mending pile, after lots of "laters."
Today, I started by sorting the pile into hand-sewing (like buttons missing), seam sewing, and then by color.
Tackled the pile.  It only took me one hour, and I even took in the seams on some of my clothes (the best way to have to fix clothes).


Result.  Clean, uncluttered, peaceful - not just in appearance, but a lighter load on my mind, too.
Now I should make a cute fabric cover for the sewing machine rather than using the plastic carry case cover.