I Tackled My List And The Bottle Of Wine

Last night I slept for 7 solid hours. I worked until midnight. Read for an hour. Closed my eyes. Out. This hasn't happened in months. I woke up around 8. Refreshed. Rested. Lisa made my first cup of coffee and. I took the first few sips at my desk. About 10 minutes later, I sat back in the chair and thought, "Nope. This isn't what I want to do or where I want to be." I needed a break from my desk and the virtual world. I paced around the kitchen for a few minutes. Sat down at the table. Lisa was making breakfast for the kids. That's when I made the decision. I was going to spend the day tackling The List.

This list isn't just any ol' list. It's my Shit-I-Want-To-Get-Done-Around-The-House-But-There-Are-Not-Enough-Hours-In-The-Day list. There were 32 items on the list. Several times a week I add to it. I convince myself that I'll get around to it. Or, at the very least, cross one or two things off a day.

That never happens.

My Shit-I-Want-To-Get-Done-Around-The-House-But-There-Are-Not-Enough-Hours-In-The-Day list is a melting pot of stuff I need and want to do. Nothing on the list requires more than a half hour of my time. It's mostly small stuff.

Make tie-backs for the kitchen curtains.

Clean the top of the refrigerator.

Clean and organize baking cupboard. 

Transfer flour and sugar to new 1 gallon kitchen jars. 

Hang basket by the kid's nook for brushes, combs and nail trimmer.

Hang framed picture.

Put stones and shells in large mason jar.

And a few things requiring more time.

Organize biscuit room. 

Pound out all of the carpets in the kitchen and hand wash in the tub.

Go through condiments and dressings on refrigerator door, discard the old and wipe down shelves.

I was determined to get every item done by this evening. I started at 10:30 a.m. I was done right around 6 p.m.

The bottle of wine I opened earlier was also finished around 6 p.m. too.

The house looked incredible. The small changes made all the difference. More so, I felt accomplished. I needed that today.

My work load is always piled to the ceiling. I never feel as if housework is ever completely finished. If I do the dishes, ten minutes later, there's a dirty dish in the sink. When I finish an article, there's another one due. I very seldom feel a sense of accomplishment. While I do complete tasks every single day, shortly after, I'm starting the same thing again from square one. Another article. Another load of dishes. Vacuum the same rooms I did the previous day. Make dinner.

The items on my list are mostly things I have to do once. A scattered few I do every couple of months. Whatever the case may be, I still feel accomplished.

I need to feel that more often.

I've already started a new list. I'm not going to let it get out of control. It's going to be a weekly list and each week I'm gong to tackle the list in its entirety.

It's important I do this.

And, after today, I know how incredible I feel after each to-do item is fully completed.

It's therapeutic.

So is wine.

I can find time to do this once a week.

I've got this.