Making lists

Musings from Sunday:

"I woke up this morning feeling rested and encouraged. The sun was shining and even after 'sleeping in' it was still early according to the clock. Today is one of my favorite days of the year - I GAINED AN HOUR TODAY! We 'fell back' an hour this morning, officially ending daylight savings time. I am going to embrace the positives of this even though I do grieve that it will be dark long before evening comes (my daughter says she will walk home from her daytime classes in the dark). Did you know that it is not officially evening until 6 PM - I learned this when we were printing the wedding invitations and as weird as it sounds, it is correct to say we had a '5 o'clock in the afternoon' wedding.

It will be nice to wake up to the light. But the best part is that it will give me a chance to get back on a better sleeping and waking routine. Since I have been blogging (one month on Tuesday!) I have been staying up too late and then consequently sleeping in. It has taken its toll on my schedule, my energy, my productivity and ultimately my attitude. I am tired. Today I start fresh. No more late nights. I will start earlier and end earlier. I will get up with the light. I will put the most important things first and stick to my list."

Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed your extra hour yesterday! 

This cartoon is by Dave Walker.

Making to-do lists is what keeps me on task; it is how I stay organized and productive and ultimately stress free. When I am at my highest level of productivity, I am working off of a list. I make a lists for everything. I make lists of phone calls I need to make, emails to return, orders to check up on, things I need to buy (for clients, for groceries, for gifts, etc), lists of what I have to do and lists of things I want to do. Lists are what keeps my mind from feeling cluttered, overwhelmed and stressed. Lists help me to prioritize what is most important and helps me decide what I can let go of or what I need to delegate to someone else. 

I start each week with a list of everything I HAVE to do. I assign a day for each task. I print it out and put it in my calendar or take it in my car with me as I go about my day. I follow up each evening by updating the list - what things need to be added, what things carried over. 

This cartoon is by Dave Walker.

Where it gets hard is when I have sooo much to do and yet the deadline is way off. I can procrastinate. For example, I am in the last week of preparing for the big Wizard of Oz party. There are a ton of things to do. But I have the whole week. And so I can get off track. If I do not make a list and stick to it, I will end up overwhelmed and stressed. Lists (and sticking to them) are how I planned the wedding and carried out a zillion tasks without getting stressed. 

Tip of the Day: Put a pen and notepad on your bedside table to jot down those thoughts that come to your mind just as you are trying to fall asleep. You can add them to your master list when morning comes!

If you want help with your home or wedding decor, contact me by email @ SHCInsideOut@gmail.com for online rates or call me at 562.547.5247 if you are local