Sometimes it takes all day to get nothing done.
I am a list maker. As my day winds down to its close, I often make a list of things I need to do tomorrow. The list becomes longer and longer as I anticipate another day—a day when I’m not too tired or too distracted. I am sure that tomorrow I can accomplish a lot—If I just stay focused. The next morning, I look at that list and realize that it’s too long. I evaluate and put a star by the things I believe I can accomplish today. I pencil in a procrastination day by the side of other things. Some items are not that important, and I cross them off. My to-do list for the day has become the to-do list for the week.
Then life intrudes on my plans. I am busy all day responding to other people’s needs. I help a friend. I run an errand for a family member. I talk on the phone and listen to the stresses that someone else is dealing with.
I notice the weeds in my flower bed. and I take time to remove them. Spilling soup on the kitchen floor reminds me that it needs to be mopped—and that wasn’t even on my list. I sit down to rest and pick up a book. I will read a chapter and relax. Hours later the story winds its way to the end, and I close the book. Is it that late? Already? It’s time to fix supper and load the dishwasher and finish all the end-of-the-day tasks.
Sometimes it takes all day to get nothing done.