Getting Organized

For me, one of the most difficult parts of living with lupus is the way it effects my schedule. Put simply, I like getting things done, and lupus can make that difficult some days. Every day I make a list of the things I need to get done, but sometimes everything doesn't get crossed off. This can make me feel both frustrated and guilty about not doing my share. The list is the only way I can remember things, thanks to brain fog, but it can also pressure me to do more than I should. That's a problem because I already stand a pretty good chance of doing too much. Recently I read a blog post that may be helpful.

On Heidi and Seek Ethical Fashion I discovered a post titled, "A Little Organization Tip for Non-Organizers." Although I am definitely not a non-organizer (labeled containers in a row make me smile), the idea presented here is more about accomplishing your goals without feeling daily pressure to cross everything off of that list. While the post is about running a small business on Etsy, the system can easily be applied to whatever it is you need to accomplish. You even get to color! Quickly summarized, the system focuses on weekly goals. These goals are then broken down into blocks of time. For example, I want to update my blogs more often, so I would take the weekly goal of updating, and divide that into blocks of time. Maybe half an hour for research and half an hour for writing. This would give me two 30 minute blocks which I could accomplish at any time during the week. As I make progress, I could color in one block to show that it is done. So, when I've finished the research half hour, that would get colored in. If I wake up feeling terrible one morning, that's okay. I can complete my block some other time.

How far you take the idea is up to you. If you're a bit OCD like me, you're probably already imagining separate color-coded pages. However you imagine it, the system can be adapted to your needs. Hopefully it will help you feel less pressure to get those items checked off every day and to focus more on working in those blocks of time when you feel you are able. If you are interested in this system, visit the Heidi and Seek blog to check out the whole post, complete with pictures.

If you decide to try out the system, please feel free stop back here and leave a comment about how it is working for you. I hope it helps. I will also let you know how it is working for me. I may keep my daily list for all the simple things I know I can easily cross off (like sweeping up cat litter), and use this system for other goals, like, yes, updating my blog more often!

Best wishes to all of you, and don't forget to keep laughing!