musings, mutterings, and creative muddle. . .





Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Shrinking Those Mole Hills

Have you ever had so many things to do that you just weren't sure where to start?  Lots of little things that, individually, are no big deal and only take a minute or two to accomplish.  But, add all those little things up and you have a mountain to climb.  Overwhelming.  Sounds like a Monday, yes?

That's my day today (and it's NOT Monday). . . so many little details attacking me, screaming at me, just begging to be dealt with.  Each little task needing only a bit of time.  So just do it, right?

Then you toss in all the distractions of working from a home office.  ARGH!  Laundry piles staring at you, messy stairs (and, holy grapes - we have lots of those!) pleading to be vacuumed, the sewing machine quietly waiting, the sun streaming through the windows (never mind it's cold outside).   Maybe my desk should come equipped with blinders?

Some days it just doesn't seem like such a great convenience to work from home.

So where to start?  If climbing a mountain, you start at the bottom and work your way up. When facing a mountain of details - I guess you want to shrink it, tear it down. . .   Bring that mountain down!  Focus.  Start at the top.  Simply 'git er done.'

Yet, there are complications. . . timing - certain things need to be done within a certain time frame; other things would be best done at specific times.   Yup.  Those timing issues really affect multi-tasking and dealing with multiple mole hills.

So, to really be productive, you've got to add another task to that mountain:  Prioritization. . . And, since we're on a roll, let's add one . more. thing  Gotta organize the prioritization with when that office is open, or how long it will take for something to get done, and can you do something else while that 'something' is getting down.

Back to my day - what's first?  That phone call?  That load of laundry?  The vacuum?  That logo design?  The report?  What?   WHAT?!

I'm going to take my Mountain Muttering literal and (literally) start with whatever's on top - highest on the 'list', so to speak.  I guess that would be publishing this blog, starting that load of laundry (because I can get lots of things done while it's in the washer), then making that phone call.  Everything else should fall into place from there, right?  Barring an interesting e-mail, a work-emergency,  or the neighbor knocking on my door, I should be able to tear those mole hills apart.  Let's just hope nothing rolls downhill, eh?

But first, I think I'll take a break from the mountain. . . . how about a looooooooong lunch?

Have a mole-hill kind of day!

Robin Z

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