It’s true. Nature does not like a vacuum. Remember all that
free time I was going to have in retirement? Yeah, well…
“The activities of any given day can be enough to exhaust
most people. Activities can be addictive. We need to fill our days with
activity, often crowding out everything else.” Fr. James Stephen Behrens,
O.C.S.O, Living Faith, Silence and
Solitude.
Father is right. My list of activities is a self-imposed
insanity, but I have so much I want to do!
Grumble.
Several posts back, I mentioned the Twenty-Five Thousand Dollar
Organizational Plan. Originally intended to improve productivity for
businesses, it certainly works for personal things as well. The simple plan
adds three priorities to the basic tasks of the day. After the first priority is completed, the second and third move up. Then another is added to the
bottom. Even if only the first priority is completed every day, seven priority
tasks will be finished by the end of the week.
But, I have far more than three things I want to get done
besides my Have-To List, and I can’t run around trying to imitate the energizer
bunny anymore. My old batteries don’t last as long as they used to.
GRUMBLE!
After some thought, I decided on several things. First, no all-day
cleaning marathons. I do a little every day. That way I have both the time and
the energy for things on my wish list.
Second, there has to be an app for this! And, there is!
Two, actually. A few minutes on the Google App Store and I
found exactly what I was looking for.
The first is a
shopping organizer. I know that sounds funny, but shopping with the Tortoise is
both frustrating and fatiguing. He shops spontaneously - usually without a list,
and the grocery store becomes a nightmare of walking back and forth from one
end of the store to the other. Instead of finishing in a half hour like other
folk, it can take us an hour, or two, for only a week’s worth of groceries. ARRGGG!
The Hare dances rings around the Tortoise thinking of all
the things she could be doing at home.
This app has changed my shopping. It saves me tons of time in
both compiling my list and at the store. It keeps a running inventory, which it
sorts automatically to match the grocery aisles!
I am sooo impressed! Check it out. It’s free! Smart Shopping List by
Listonic
.
Next, I needed something for time management with reminder options
that wasn’t really a calendar/scheduler. A fancy To Do List to keep track of
all the things I want to do. I found To Do List by Splend Apps (SplenDO).
I become so embroiled in a writing project or a painting
session, I lose track of time and often forget what day I last did X, and when
I need to do XX. This little app gives me all kinds of options with a voice
reminder. If I schedule something for a set time, I hear, “You wanted to do XXX
at this time.” I love it!
I don’t care if the Tortoise is laughing at me. His mind
doesn’t wander off on a million trails like mine. Knowing something else is keeping
track of my tasks, I can stay focused on the next scene in my book, or the next
detail in the painting. I can read without watching the clock, or setting a
timer.
Besides that, I have a visual of everything I want to do,
and can stop the insanity before it starts. I am far more productive and less
stressed. Grin!
Father Behrens also reminded me it is necessary to keep a
balance between activity and quiet solitude. I added a little reminder to stop
and take a break every so often. It is so easy to forget how many hours I have
sat at the computer or the easel. It is just as important to sit on the porch
swing with my husband. Play with the puppy. Watch the sunrise and the sunset,
pray, and meditate. A little organization has gone a long way in clearing the
clutter in my mind. I am more focused and more productive. When I am relaxing, I am not running a list through my mind, stressing about what I might be forgetting, and reevaluating everything a dozen times. I can open my thoughts to higher things.
“Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the
night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12.
Thanks, I needed some of these reminders. I can't get use to not having kids at home 24/7 and since trying to have a schedule each day is impossible, with drop in grands, and my job, I still need to get a hold of my time. Thanks! Blessings on your retirement and balance.
ReplyDeleteI think we will always struggle for balance, Janette, but the effort is worth the rewards we gain. Although, life can't be scheduled as much as we like. That's why I was more interested in an interactive Reminder List rather than a Planner. :)
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