JUST START
No More Wasted Weekends
Another wasted weekend.
Not literally, like when you were in college and spent the weekend partying. I admit that I didn’t have a lot of bender weekends in college, but those I did have kept me sworn off bourbon to this day. No, I’m talking about having a lot to do, and not wanting to do it. If you procrastinate long enough, Monday will roll around—and voila!—another wasted weekend.
It’s one more consequence of my empty nest. With no kids, there are no lessons to be imparted and no one to lead by example. Besides that, things that seemed effortless in my thirties seem insurmountable today. To start with, let’s take getting out of bed in the morning. In my thirties, I’d wake before the alarm, roll out of bed, and hit the ground running, full of energy for the day. In my fifties, it’s more likely that I’ll hit snooze three times and roll out of bed with two leaded feet and a sore back. After hobbling around for thirty minutes, I’m able to stand upright and make a pot of coffee.
This scenario has prompted me to perfect the art of keeping busy without accomplishing anything. I make lists! I have pages of projects and things to do—one list of all the supplies, tools, and instructions needed, and another list scheduling “fun things to do on the weekend” that alternates with “maintenance and repair projects.”
Clever organizational coaches call this the “Knowing and Doing Gap,” which is pretty self-explanatory. Well, my gap has grown to the width of the Grand Canyon. If I don’t use up the weekend making my lists, I can spend hours on YouTube watching other people demonstrating how to do the thing. My lack of progress is not a lack of knowing HOW to do … I just DON’T do!
Since I don’t want to continue this weekend after weekend, I know I need a new approach, but abandoning my lists is not so easy. I started this weekend by organizing my lists and found one I’d started in my thirties—and yes, some of the same projects are still waiting to be done! But that isn’t what caught my attention. One of the items from the list I’d made twenty years ago was “Take time to rest.” I finally have the time to complete this item, and I feel guilty doing it! Resting makes me feel old. Maybe because it feels like less of a choice and more of a necessity.
I have become a victim of good ole paralysis by analysis.
My husband doesn’t suffer from this. As I’ve mentioned before, he basically has two modes—one is resting in the recliner, the other is playing golf. He has no trouble or guilt spending his weekend doing one or the other. And even when I try to make him feel guilty, it rarely produces the desired result.
So here is my big epiphany—it’s time to invoke the K.I.S.S. Principle—Keep It Simple, Stupid! Nobody is going to do it for me! It’s time to follow the advice of one of the many coaches I’ve paid for … and the many lists I’ve made.
And this weekend, I vow to just start!