Reality Check

So was there anything crossed off of my to-do list before I left to work this morning? No. But here's what I did accomplish:

• Prepped two batches of pizza dough for tonight's dinner
• Rousted one grandson from his bed
• Packed lunches for all three grandchildren
• Consoled one grandson when he was hit in the forehead with a Nerf bullet, shot by the other grandson
• Removed all Nerf guns and admonished the offender
• Discussed upcoming birthday with the granddaughter and agreed to arrange a bowling party (and got Grandpa to do the arranging)
• Oh, and I did some reading when I could have been running around cleaning a counter. My bad.

This whole "project" isn't working for me. The way I have it arranged, I need to set aside dedicated time to get it all finished, and I can't rely on having the time.

One of the bloggers I read loves schedules and lists. In fact, she almost has it down to a science. She has opted to choose a theme for each month - January's is Energy - and she has a checklist of things she does every day for that month. Hers included: take a vitamin, spend 15 minutes decluttering, walk for 10 minutes. Her list is only six items. It may be more workable for me. Right now it feels liking I'm making no headway. If I stick to my January goal of getting the house in better shape, what six things could I list:

1. Clear the floor in the downstairs.
2. Empty and straighten one countertop area or shelf.
3. Spend 10 minutes dusting.
4. Spend 10 minutes with the window cleaner.
5. Spend an additional 10 minutes on one of the above.
6. Clean one bathroom surface.

This looks like one hour a day, and I wouldn't have to do it all at once. Let's give it a go.