15 Minutes at a Time

This little post is mainly for me.  I was sitting at the kitchen table this morning recovering from a little stint of spring cleaning out on my patio and having a brief cry.  I was feeling overwhelmed with all there is to do out in my yard and the lack of help now that I am all but an empty nester. Suddenly a thought came to me from my favorite cleaning website www.flylady.net- 'You can do ANYTHING for 15 minutes.'  

I have been following her for over seven years and keeping my house on a schedule with her routine. But it's her 15-minute idea that keeps me going. With my MS progressing over the past seventeen years, I've lost a bit of my energy and  some function in my right leg.  It makes it hard for me to do things I used to whip through, such as vacuuming the whole house, laundry all in one day, or hours out in the yard on a beautiful sunny day. I love to spend hours in my garden but now the 15-minute rule really comes in handy. Although those weeds have a pull that sometimes keep me going longer, and I regret it. I have to literally crawl back to the house.

Today was a hard one.  Spring is here.  I want to get out there.  My coveted raised beds aren't built yet, so I am crawling around on the ground still, wasting more energy. I can't NOT play in the soil.  It is a desire that is strong.  I think I would curl up and die if I couldn't do this, so I grab my walker (just so I can hobble back) and dash out there to do my 15-minutes.  IF I stick to the 15 minutes I won't need the walker too much to get back, maybe to keep from tripping over a worm hill or something.  But, if I stretch it to 30-minutes or more, I may be hanging on to that walker for dear life and taking dragging, baby steps to the house which seems miles away. I will flop on the back porch steps, panting, and wait a good 5 to 10 minutes before I can haul myself into the cool shade of my house to rest before the next burst of energy comes, and I start on another 15-minute project.

Sometimes, the next project doesn't start until the next day.  But if I stick to my 15-minutes, I can do three or four projects in a day.  It's amazing how that works.  Over-do one project and I could be done for, especially if it's in the sun.  But on days like today, when I get really discouraged, I have to stop and think, what have I accomplished.

While I was sitting at the table having my pity party,  I suddenly thought of why I was so tired and what I had accomplished already today.  I had showered, dressed, done my hair, wiped down the bathroom, picked up the laundry, played with the dog, got the kitchen partially re-cleaned up, and had just cleaned up the patio, AND it was only 11 AM.  Amazing for me considering I had only been up for 2 hours (I had slept in--my sweet hubby let me).

So all in all, I'm able to keep going 15 minutes at a time with rests in between.  Everyone and Anyone can do anything they need to do with moderation.  So if you are dealing with any type of issue and think you can't possibly get it done, just remember YOU CAN DO IT--15 minutes at a time!

Busyness vs Business

I have been berating myself for not keeping this up like I'd planned I would.  I'm sure I've lost a few followers in the process, but that's the way life goes.  As I was thinking of why I haven't been keeping this up, I've been thinking of what it is that's keeping me from sitting down and writing.

Some of it has been great ideas that have flitted in and out of my brain never to be captured again.  Some has been illness, mine and others. Then, there is my seasonal job starting and the list goes on.

We all have things that get in the way--important or fun. That kind of goes back to my postings on Just Say No and Things that Matter.  We have to decide what to do with those.

But this post has to do with running around like a chicken with our head cut off and getting nothing done--Busyness--or actually sitting down and finishing that big project of cleaning out the messy pantry or getting the gardening power point presentation done for next week's class--Business.

The dictionary defines busyness as 'lively but meaningless activity.'  How many times during our lives are we doing this?  Just now, I got a phone call and spent 30 minutes on it. I was talking about nothing in particular, settle nothing important, had a lot of laughs, but didn't get anywhere on this blog.  Busyness.

Whereas, Business, is defined as an undertaking, a task, or a job you need to do--I am really trying to get this blog written, proof-read, and posted.

I have witnessed many friends fill their lives (and their kids' lives) with busyness--running from activity to activity and never stopping to see if these items are really meaningful in anyone's life.  My husband and I are guilty of the same thing and we have to keep telling ourselves: 'stay focused' ; 'what is our end-goal.'

A new book I am reading, Eat That Frog, is helping me stay focused on 'our end-goal.'  It is helping me avoid Busyness. There are two lines in the book that help me with decide if I am being 'busy' or working on 'busi' "There will never be enough time to do everything you have to do." and  "What is the most valuable use of my time right now?"  I use both these quotes with personal, spiritual, and work aspect parts of my life.

I try to NOT do the things that are of no to little value.  Is cleaning out the dust in the upper cupboards behind my recipe books really going to matter to anyone?  All that's going to matter to me is the draining of my energy, wasting time needed for a more important projects, and possibly a little bit of satisfaction when my tall sister-in-law sees it IF she should ever come to visit me and IF she should want a cookbook from that cupboard. Busyness

Instead, sweep the kitchen floor.  Same amount of time and it's visible to everyone. Do you see the difference?

Since reading that chapter, I have tried to implement those two sentences in everything I do.  It is amazing what little things I have eliminated from my life.  I still have a ways to go, but I'm starting to find some much needed time in my clock and scale down some busyness in my days.