She's Making a List

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination. ~Napoleon Hill

Our first week of my new morning chore plan has gone quite well. We were able to complete the index card lists I had made without much problem, although we started lessons a bit behind time, but I think once the Princess gets used to the daily morning schedule that she will do it in a more timely fashion.

My husband, a to-do list maker extraordinaire, has advised me for years to make lists. I do make lists for things like groceries and errands but writing out what I need to do or just want to do every day...well, things can just go completely awry. That happens to my husband all the time. He would tell me that some days he does get to do even one thing on his list, but then he writes what he did do so to remind him of his accomplishments that were done instead.

Don't tell him this but I am thinking that I really should put his advice in action long before this.

I have my morning chores listed so far and I am writing what I have done during the day also. I am realizing that my problem has been that when I write to-do lists for the day ahead of time, I write more than I could do and do not leave much time for the fun things in life. This time I decided not to enslave myself to the lists but just to do whatever naturally comes up to me as a priority for the day. Whatever seems to bother me the most about my home, whatever visible pile or hidden spot stands out the most, just becomes my target for the day.

This morning it was my kitchen bar. I had placed several bottles of supplements on the bar from a kitchen counter earlier this week because the Princess and I began making fruit and protein smoothies for breakfast. (Thanks for the idea Birbitt! I fear now she will eat nothing else for breakfast.) So I needed to make my Vita-Mix more readily available without having to move bottles of supplements out of the way each morning. I do have a pie chest for our supplements but somehow they always end up left out on the counter in front of my juicers. (Yes, I have a Green Machine extract juicer there as well that we may be using more also.) I left this new pile on the kitchen counter because had other things that had priority for every day until this morning.

Of course, I decided that to be able to place the supplements in the pie chest, I needed to reorganize it also. I did that first. Then I filed away a few of my daughter's art papers she had laid on the bar since replacing them with newer works on the refrigerator. My uncluttered bar then just needed a cleaning...and I decided the kitchen sink did also. Then it was time for the Princess to get up and start our day together.

Here are some of the nice changes that I have been and still am seeing this week:

• My bathrooms looked great every day.
• My laundry room floor is cleared and clean with no lint.
• My kitchen floor is cleaner.
• My hamper is not overflowing.
• My bedroom rocking chair could be sat in without taking clothes of it first.
• My vacuum collects less dust on top of itself because it is being used more.
• My gardens have less weeds and are shaping a little at a time.
• I finally made some of the French flash cards I am been meaning to do for...mmmmonths, as embarrassing as it is to admit it.
• My husband complimented how much better the bathrooms and laundry room looked.
• My daughter was enthusiastic and helpful with a good attitude.
• I feel optimistic about getting to the piles I still have left (and there are still many and then it will be the hidden places like closets and cupboards).

I actually look forward to adding something else I have done to my list every day!

~ My Lord, I love how You guide me in finding and developing what will work best for my family and me. Thank you for this fulfilling and productive week. ~