Accomplished Something

"Today, I accomplished something."

That is a sentence you want to be able to breath at the end of every day...

I used to have a theory, that working out in the morning was really the best way to do it, because then even if you get halfway through the rest of the day, and you've done nothing else... well at least you can check that workout off your list.

It's a momentum theory I guess.. that if you start your day by accomplishing something, then you will continue to accomplish things all day long.

Or hell if you don't complete even one single solitary other task, then at least at the end of the day you can still state that you've accomplished SOMETHING.


The important part of this phrase is the word "something"... to accomplish something... not everything, I've long since given up on that crazy idea.

Actually it sort of plays into another theory that I have... there is absolutely no way in hell you will ever cross absolutely everything off of your "list of things to do today".

Sort of a Murphy's law that there will always be 33% of the list un-crossed at the end of the day... so I like to make my lists very long, so that if I do manage to get that other 66% done, I have actually put in a full days work.

I add things to the list like "organize the spice rack", and "defrost the freezer", "clean toilet with toothbrush" (um, not my own toothbrush... depending on the relationship it could be the boyfriends toothbrush... but that's not the point, the point is, I add things to the list that I know I will never ever even attempt to do unless hell freezes over).

By adding these irrational things to the list, it actually forces you to do all the other tasks... normally you would not feel very determined to cross "fold laundry" off your list. In fact, should it be the last thing on your list, you may not even bother to do it at all(as you feel you've done enough by crossing everything else off).

Once you stick it on a list that includes "re-tar roof" "organize sock drawer" and "detail brass collection", you are surely going to choose laundry folding as your next task... and should you never get as far as organizing your sock drawer then no one will fault you.

So my advice of the day is, accomplish something, in fact, accomplish a lot of things, just don't try and make one of those accomplishments "cross off the entire list". Instead, try to make the longest list possible, and that way when you've only managed to cross off 107 of the 138 things on the list, you will be too exhausted to give a damn.