Get 'er done

I came up with a project to get me out of the post-triathlon, post-Appalachia service trip, post-duathlon blues. Its called "Get 'er Done!" You know that list of to do's that gets passed on from week to week, month to month, and before you realize it, its a year later and your list the same as it was a year ago? I know the Rebarchiks reading this know the list.

By observing other more-organized people, I've realized how much energy it takes to drag the "junk" on that list everywhere you go. I think the formula is something like this. Let's say you have some trim and a door to paint. And let's say painting and hanging trim would take 3 hours. Instead of taking 3 hours on a weeknight or a weekend and just "getting 'er done," you let 5 months pass without doing it, instead you just think about doing it...shame yourself for not doing it...feel irritated that its not done...think about the burglary that caused that door to need replacing...think about selling this house so it won't be burglarized again...and you decide not to paint the door just yet because you aren't ready to sell the house?! Every week you think of this project at least 5 times. Sometimes for just a few seconds, sometimes a few minutes. You spend an average of 10 minutes a week thinking of this project, too distracted to really do anything else productive. By the end of 5 months, you've wasted 200 minutes....with nothing to show other than an unpainted door and some unhung trim. It only would have taken you 180 minutes to get the project done.

So let's say I do this project next weekend. Over the next 5 months, I will have 210 extra minutes (or 30 I guess depending on how you look at it). What would I do with that time? Walk the dog, go for a longer run, scrub the bathtub, shop, iron, cook, bake, visit with a friend, read a book, organize photos, make a new IPod mix, watch a movie, play with some kids, pray, hang some curtains....

I figure with my new "Get Er Done" project, I should end up with several extra hours each week to engage in more leisure activities. Worry, procrastination, and avoidance are stealing too much time and energy! Its time to just do it, GET ER DONE!!