Tuesday To Do Lists

This is a followup on last Tuesdy's post. In an attempt to hold myself accountable I'm going to make this a weekly thing. Maybe not indefinitely but at least until I gain some momentum on these habit changes. After a few weeks I'll evaluate whether it is making a significant difference in my productivity and decide whether to continue. But if anyone is interested in joining in and making this a meme let me know.

I'm starting light with my expectations as am still recovering from a nasty virus. The focus is on some high priority tasks that meet one or more of these criteria: prepare self and environment for future productivity in creative projects; improve health and stamina and mood; tend to time sensitive commitments

Last week's todo list w/progress report:

• Make todo lists (ala David Allen's GTD) --made much progress in several hours of work on this (see last Tuesday's post for info on Allen's book and his method for organizing time and effort for stress free productivity)
  
• Laundry -- sorted on Saturday; put thru machines Sunday night and Monday morning putting away as they came out of dryer. Ed helped a lot.
• Organize desk -- spent several hours at this spread over several days. Much progress but long way to go
• Organize sewing/craft stuff -- ditto
• Begin fringe work on bamboo baby afghan -- nothing accomplished as it hasn't been safe to get it out with all the disruption in the room during the laundry and organizing tasks
• Begin cleaning out the 1000s of emails in my Gmail and MSN accounts -- had planned to devote the weekend days to this but then we lost internet from Saturday morning thru Monday afternoon
• Begin making bib slips for all first time books checked out since last June -- ditto; need access to library's online catalog and my account for this task
• Finish City of Tranquil Light -- didn't finish but made significant progress. In fact I read over 100 pages last night and that is the fist time since late last fall that I've been able to read for that long in a regular print book. I don't think it is a coincidence that I started using a pair of reading glasses I found while reorganizing my desk area last night, slipping them on over my bifocals in place of the clip on version I'd been using. After several hours of amazed use I took a closer look at those clip ons and realized that what looked like fog or fingerprint smudges was actually a fine mesh of teeny scratches. So relieved that my eyes had not deteriorated as much as I'd begun to fear.
  
• and Write Review -- see above
• Finish This Year You Write Your Novel -- didn't finish; did advance bookmark
• and Write review -- see above

So this week's list will look very similar:

• Work on GTD todo lists
• Advance bookmark in David Allen's GTD w/attention to clarity on defining tasks vs projects and which type of list best suits which tasks.
• Change bedding
• Wash bedding
  
• Fine tune desk area by using it and changing what doesn't work
• Fine tune sewing/craft stuff organization
• Sort/organize one jumbled or junk box, drawer, shelf, cupboard, or closet area -- choose one that will make the most difference in immediate efficiency or productivity. i.e. Last night I finally unpacked the shoebox of office/desk stuff I took with me to Longview last summer which is one less box taking up space in my desk area but now I need to organize the three drawers I unloaded all the paperclips, post-its and pens etc into to save time and frustration when I am in need of one of them; or pair up good socks and toss those with dead elastic and/or holes to cut 10 to 20 minutes off getting ready to go out. (will sandal and flip flop weather ever arrive?)
  
• Begin cleaning out Gmail and MSN inboxes (lets specify with measurable and actionable tasks doable in 30 minutes or less: deal with newest 50 and oldest 50 for each every day until done. So won't be finished by next Tuesday but it is a realistic goal and actionable as David Allen would say.)
• Begin making bib slips for first time library books from July to present. (lets specify as above: tend to the oldest batch first and work forward at a pace of one batch per day; also tend to latest batch (Sunday's) and then stay current going forward.
• Begin fringe work on bamboo baby afghan -- this too needs to be broken down into actionable tasks: gather all end pieces from finished balls of thread; decide on length of fringe and number of threads by experimenting; decide on method of attaching by experimenting with the stitches; find or make right sized card to wrap thread for making fringe pieces; cut several hundred white and 100 or so of each pf five pastels; attach several inches of fringe pieces in time for picture for Thursday's baby afghan progress report.
• Finish City of Tranquil Light
  
• and Begin work on review -- some actionable tasks that can be done before finishing book: prepare bib info, cover image, author info and relevant web links; make notes on thoughts for review; collect quotes
• Finish This Year You Write Your Novel
• and Begin work on review -- see above