'To Do' List!

Normally, as I wake up, my brain switches straight on and begins making its plans for the day, but today when I wake up I’m aware of the fact that I’ve spent half the night dreaming about what I need to get done! Walking to school with my littlest I’ve a million and one tasks and ideas going through my head, and I actually struggle to switch off from thinking while listening to my Wednesday morning readers in the younger class! Why today has been chosen as my ‘getting things sorted day’ I’ve no idea, but I think the best thing to do would be to run with it and have a bit of an admin day in all areas of my life.

As soon as I’ve washed up from breakfast and got the washing going, I grab a piece of paper and write a hasty ‘To Do’ list- not as easy as it sounds when your brain is several steps ahead of your writing! I used to be more of a ‘list’ person- I’d write lists of things to buy when out, grocery shopping lists, lists of what to take on holiday or when visiting, but since the children have got bigger I’ve found that I manage fairly well on a normal day to day basis with actually just remembering what I need to do. Of course there are still exceptions- shopping lists made during the week of things we’ve run out of, or things to remember to take on holiday that might otherwise be forgotten, but these days my lists are far less comprehensive.

Mike, on the other hand, lives his life by his To Do list. Or at least he would do, if he actually remembered to look at it occasionally or complete any of the tasks written on it! It’s become a bit of a joke on his days off at home- he’ll sit down in the morning and produce his typed up list of tasks (all grouped together under different categories, such as work, filing, shopping etc. - much more organised than my hand scribbled note!!) and look thoughtfully at it. ‘I’ve got a lot to get done today’ he’ll say, usually then followed by him grabbing a cup of coffee and his computer game and/ or book. Needless to say, nothing much else gets done that day. Next morning he once again produces said list, scribbles adjustments (including the date!) over it, retypes it and returns to his favourite game or book!!

One immediate problem with my list, I quickly realise, is that several of the items are things I need to ask Mike about, and this could well be the cause of my mind working overtime so much. For instance- since our house fire we have been living in a rented house, which was supposed to be a temporary measure. However, the insurance company and surveyors took so long arguing over what was or wasn’t going to be rebuilt that all the love went out of our own house. No one feels comfortable with it any more, and ‘home’ is where we are currently living so the other house is now on the market. Now that we have taken over from the insurance company in paying the rent on our current home, our mortgage on our own property is on hold until the house is sold and we can pay it back, as we can’t afford to pay both each month.

Mike though is a bit of an ostrich when it comes to anything potentially troublesome, and whereas the agreement was for him to keep in touch with the mortgage company with regular progress (or lack of progress) reports, I’ve no idea if he’s actually been doing so. I’m sure he has for something so important, but as we rarely seem to find the time to spend in the same place together, while both still awake, I just don’t know. And it’s really bugging me as for all I know the bank could have repossessed the house long ago, or of course, everything could be fine. It’s been stopping me from sleeping, and now I’m also trying to work out an exact budget to see if we can afford our Easter holiday that everyone so desperately needs, but I need to know the bank isn’t going to come knocking at the door any minute demanding several month’s mortgage payments!!

So, this is top of my list for finding out. But there’s nothing I can do about it until at least dinner time, and only then if Mike isn’t sitting working all evening in preparation for whatever meetings he’s got tomorrow. At least now it’s written down though in black and white (ok, blue and white), and it can’t be brushed aside and forgotten, but can at least be released from my poor brain.

Many of the items on my list are smaller, more manageable tasks though, and I whiz through them checking them off as I go. I now have a meal plan chart for this month. It’s not quite complete, but serves two purposes- remembering what I’ve cooked when, to avoid making the exact same dinner too many weeks in a row, and also more careful budgeting when it comes to the weekly food shop, thus saving some vital extra pennies towards our potential holiday.

I’ve a couple of new ideas for Little Dolly Clothes Shop, so I’ve written the basics down for working on tomorrow, knowing I don’t now need to remember what I’d thought of! I’ve started typing out an exact budget for the next couple of months which, although I need some input from Mike with regards to his petrol usage, I can complete most of without him. And I’ve printed out the forms I was told I need for submitting an appeal to HMRC regarding the fines they never should have charged me after our house fire.

I may not have got any sewing done today, which is annoying after having such a good start to the week, but by the time I have to leave the computer and cook dinner I feel less stressed out. I wasn’t even aware of the fact that I felt like that, but somehow I feel lighter, and less burdened by the weight of everything. My mind is clearer, and my work and family life more organised. Now all I need to complete the feeling is the chance to pin Mike down and fill in the missing gaps on my ‘Done’ list…!