Projects Done! - Day 2 - Collect

It was already on my mind this morning as I was woken up by the burglar alarm at 6:55 am! No, not a burglar, just hubby, who had forgotten the code, and toddler, who was crying, "Too loud! Too loud!"

After turning it off and comforting the little one, I ran back upstairs and grabbed my notebook to begin Day 2 - Collect. 

Today is the day to make The List. Don't be creative! Don't be exhaustive! Just write down the things that exhaust you the moment you walk into a room! This task should take less than 15 minutes. If it doesn't hit you over the head immediately, it doesn't belong on this list.

We have a hole in the wall where Someone broke the toilet paper roll out twice. Each time I brush my teeth, shower, or take care of business, I see the hole and think, "Wow, I really should fix that!" I've even bought a drywall patch kit to fix the hole. It would relieve stress to take care of that.

On the other hand, we have a dirt patch in our backyard. We vaguely plan on putting bricks there. I haven't bought bricks. I do not know how to put them in properly. I rarely see the problem and don't really care about it. Tackling this project would create stress with few positives.

After walking through your house, sit down and write a sentence justifying each project. Some of mine are:

"Reattach curtain rod so that it doesn't break more and so that the kids can sleep better."

"Sort girls' clothes to donate so that someone else can use them and so that the girls can more easily keep their room clean. It'll also save me time washing clothing that was left on the floor and never worn!"

"Finish the quilt into a tree skirt so we can use it this Christmas!"

"Keep building my core muscles because then I can sleep better and not have back pain!"

"Read Madita to increase my ability in German."

Some of the sentences were lame:

"Fix ceiling. Yeah right." 

"Decide what to do with the crib so I no longer feel guilty when I look at it.

I have no clue how to fix a ceiling. You can barely see the patches. This is not getting done this month.

Put a star next to any project you can do in less than 20 minutes. If you need to buy anything for the project, it does not qualify! Recaulking a hole in the bathroom will take 5 minutes - once I buy the caulk! But, for now, it doesn't make the short list.

Finally, choose the easiest project and do it today. Why wait for tomorrow? 

For me, it is listing a pair of unworn shoes on e-bay. (And, who knows, maybe it'll snowball and I'll list my craigslist items, too!)

What is your project to finish today?