Dilly Dally

 


“You may delay, but time will not.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

Sometimes, I surprise myself. Like most people, I do sometimes put off tasks that do not appeal to me. This week I finally tackled one such task that’s been pending for almost 3 years (if not more!!)

It finally became impossible to find stuff in my kitchen cupboard, especially spices. Also, I took out a can of herbal tea and it was hard as a rock. Another one had little crawlers all over the powder. I just could not continue ignoring the cues that a decluttering project was long overdue.

And what best time to tackle it than a Monday morning at 6 am. Early, first thing in the week. And I was still at it until 3 pm with various interruptions and breaks. . sigh.

Did I learn anything? LOADS of stuff, you bet!

Brian Tracy’s book – Eat That Frog – kept flashing before my eyes. I kept putting off the task because it was not pleasant. The mere thought of tackling it made it feel like I was being asked to eat a frog.  But if you keep putting off unpleasant tasks, they grow into imaginary monsters in your head and then your emotions go haywire because of a difficulty that probably only exists as a fear in your head. Until you get started, you have no conception of the magnitude of the task that is rooted in reality.

The first thing I did was get a crate and a stool. I climbed up on the stool and dropped everything into the crate. Only then was I able to get a realistic picture of what the task ahead looked like. There was organizing, cleaning, disposing, refilling and labeling. Each of those turned out to be a much easier task than I’d hitherto imagined it to be.

Once I got started, the momentum of the tasks carried it forward. I did not need to employ a cheering squad to egg me on.

So what was I afraid of for over 3 years? I’m ashamed to say – nothing. I just allowed fear to rob me of my organization and my peace (this task has lived rent-free at the back of my mind as an undone to-do item).

We are in the last month of 2023 and the busiest schedules are slowing down to allow for some holiday celebrations. As you wind down your year, has anything been bugging you for a while as a pending item on your to-do lists? Why not get it done, even if it is for 20 minutes a day? Learn from me – lugging around unnecessary burdens – physical, mental or spiritual – is unnecessarily tiring.

Find time today to get organized and begin your journey into 2024 as a sojourner who travels light.

“A year from now you may wish you had started today.” ~ Karen Lamb

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