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Wednesday 21 January 2009

My To Dos Are Getting Done


 
I submitted my first ever tax return today. I am soooo relieved.

In an attempt to squash my boredom and frustration, I tackled the dreaded task in small chunks. I dedicated an hour or two a day to doing a whole year's accounts AND my tax return. It's taken me just over a week. 

Doing it in little bits was obviously a good tactic, although I suffered a few dark moments wrestling with the overwhelming urge to call up the HMRC and tell them to FCUK.

But, despite the occasional hissy fits, (a perfectly acceptable way of venting when you work from home all by your lonesome) I have to admit that I enjoyed it.

Well, not 'it' as such, more the doing of it. How very Zen. 

I've realised that the To Dos I work hard to avoid are often more heinous in their contemplation than they are in reality. And the sense of achievement when an ageing To Do becomes an It's Finally Done is a far more accessible high to the modern woman than the endorphin rush you could get from scaling Everest, getting your kids to tidy their room or losing six pounds in two weeks.

Now that I have shaken that particular monster off my back, a whole cornucopia of decrepit To Dos are spilling their sorry little selves onto my kitchen chalkboard. This time, they're getting ticked off. One by one.

The difference is I'm keeping them small. My big ambitions and grandiose dreams are broken into bite-sized chunks. Here are the current ones, courtesy of my chalkboard:

1. Cleaning: Hoover bedrooms this week, mop kitchen floor tomorrow, put clothes away today (was 'make house look like a normal person's all the time').

2. Work: Write an inspiring self-promoting email to send to prospective clients by Friday (was 'get two new clients by end of Feb').

3. Health: Go for a walk with Ella and friends on Saturday (was 'fit into that dress by my hen night').

Q. How do you eat an elephant?

A. One little bite at a time

2 comments:

Ian Newbold said...

I thought you last question would be more of a with custard or gravy answer ;-)

I've joined you in getting my tax return done, and I need to set up little tasks for the remainder of this week and into the next.

Top idea.

Anonymous said...

An emminently sensible approach. Like you, I am forever writing lists of mountainous tasks that I continually fail to complete. I am off to revisit my list and eat my elephant with chopsticks, instead of a shovel ;)