to-do list tuesday

To-Do List

maureen and i met by happenstance. she uploaded some uh-mazing pics of her organized home to one of the flickr group pools i often frequent. from there i went to her blog, notes on a visual life (inspiration galore) and decided to follow her blog. turns out--we're from the same place in sc (well almost the same place). we decided to meet up for coffee in the big city of LA since we're both transplants and the rest is history. maureen graciously shared her to-do list with us, which will be history as soon as she crosses stuff off (i couldn't help myself)!

My biggest challenge when it comes to my to-do's would be initial motivation. I can be a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to tasks where I haven't done a particular thing before or there is some chance that I'm going to fail. Those are the tasks I'll be most likely to put off for a long time (i.e. going to the DMV to get my CA license and registration).

If the tasks are home based (cleaning, organizing, computer-y, etc...) I will put on a favorite podcast for some funny background noise (The Ricky Gervais podcast is a go to!) and I will just keep thinking, "Do it now!" Once I'm up and moving, I'll be unstoppable. Also, another trick for when I CAN'T get in the mood to clean or organize: go to YouTube and watch a segment from the British show "How Clean Is Your House." If you're like me, you'll be in a cleaning frenzy in NO TIME. This may sound silly but if you find something that can help to motivate you visually, put it somewhere in your space! I found a lovely print that actually says "Do it Now." I framed it and put it in my kitchen and it does work for me as a good reminder. But it's true that the longer you wait to tackle something, the more psychologically difficult it becomes.

I am a list maker through and through so I always have a To-Do list on hand. If I'm feeling super motivated and fancy, I will categorize items by importance through ink color. I think it's best to avoid an overly ambitious to-do list as you'll probably never complete it (or it will take ages) and you won't get that rewarding sense of completion which may inspire you to tackle more of your to-do baggage. I try to keep mine realistic. It's also a good idea to make your entries singular and precise rather than one entry that includes LOADS of steps and tasks. But, everyone is different and as my dad would say, "If everyone liked vanilla they wouldn't make chocolate." Find whatever works for you and knock it out of the park.