Well, it happened again.
I had all these wonderful ‘fresh start’ visions for the new year; lots of things I want to accomplish — completing an online course, reading the business books in my collection, blogging daily, writing my articles, maintaining my declutter routines.
But then, Sunday, December 30, my throat is hurting and I’m sneezing a lot. By New Year’s Day, I’ve got a fever and stuffy nose and not functioning at capacity. January 2nd, I slept most of the day. Today, it looks like I’m on the road to recovery; still a little weary, a little sniffly, but much better, thank you.
And I’m also mad. Why does this ALWAYS happen when I get revved up to be more productive? It seems like every time I try to be and do better, something gets in the way.
Why can’t things just be normal?
Did you catch that?
“Why does this ALWAYS happen when I get revved up to be more productive? It seems like every time I try to be and do better, something gets in the way.”
Obviously, this IS normal!
It’s easy to blame circumstances for our inability to accomplish the things we think we ought or would like to do. We think that we can do better when things “settle down.” Problem is, things never do seem to settle down. So our only alternative is to deal with it.
I may not have jumped into the new year as enthusiastically as I would have liked, but despite my hurdles, I did get some things done. For example, I:
- took my shower and got ready for the day. (I would have felt much worse, been even less productive, if I hadn’t done this.)
- washed the dishes.
- joined the Ultimate Blog Challenge and published my first post.
- monitored comments on my post.
- knitted a few rows on my current project.
- organized my knitting needles
- decluttered my yarn stash and organized the “keepers.”
These were all “low impact” tasks that I could handle with low energy and a stuffy head. Things I couldn’t do were study my online course, vacuum, mop, work on articles — pretty much anything that required concentration or strength. I had neither.
I challenge you to rethink why your are less productive than you like. Are you using current circumstances as a reason? If so, how likely are circumstances going to change in the near term to enable you to start toward your goals? Is it your circumstances that need to change or your expectations?
I’m starting to feel better. I’m breathing easier, my energy level is picking up. Tomorrow I may be back to normal…
Oh, wait, this IS normal!
Brenda Spandrio, The Declutter Lady
Love your site! Found you on the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Look forward to reading more!
Thanks, Susie!
I am apparently super-normal, when all along I thought I was different. I am learning to plan for some of the ‘bumps’–rarely do things always go like clockwork. I teach my clients to plan extra time than they think to get some things done. Gremlins abound in technology, in particular! Thanks for sharing!
You are so right, Joan! Things rarely go like clockwork…I can’t count how many times I thought something on the computer was going to take 5 minutes and ended up taking more like 5 hours! Thanks for stopping by…
Sometimes it is just our attitudes that should change. That will have the snowball effect on the rest.
Yep, Retha, our attitude does make a difference. Thanks for stopping by!
Nice to see that others have the same trouble as i do:-)
Thanks, Jessica! We are all in this together…
You know sometimes we have the best of intentions and then suddenly – life gets in the way. I do hope your feeling better – we caught a bug around here too!
On the mend, but not 100%. I realize that it’s just so important to take life “as is” instead of wishing it were different. Thanks for stopping by!
Go Brenda! Always good to balance self-care with productivity 🙂
Thanks, Catherine! Balance is key. Maybe this is God’s way of letting me know that my New Year expectations were a little too ambitious!!
Good thought Brenda. I do think we also need to give ourselves credit for the things we DO accomplish. Maybe today it’s organizing the knitting needles and tomorrow it’s organizing the craft closet (or room). 🙂 And when you aren’t feeling well to begin with, be extra gentle with yourself. 🙂
Thanks, Sue! I do think that we who tend toward clutter and disorganization are very hard on ourselves and punish ourselves by staying “stuck.” I appreciate the reminder to be more gentle with myself — I certainly have different expectations of others who are ill!!