. Make Three Piles (No More, No Less)

I have had a bad cold.  It has kept me down for a week now and I am feeling totally overwhelmed, unorganized, and out of control.  I had enough energy to face the planner this morning and tackle my paperwork.  I knew I wouldn’t have much energy for very long and so this was my plan of attack:   Three Piles (no more, no less).

Pile #1. Things which will need doing as soon as I have energy to do anything (past keeping meals on the table, the laundry done, and the house sort of cleaned up and neat.)

Pile #2. Things which will need doing when I get back on my feet and have enough energy to THINK and WORK for more than ten minutes at a time (and still keep meals on the table, the laundry done, and the house sort of cleaned up and neat.)

Pile #3. Things which will need doing when I get to them.  Some things just have to wait, a long wait maybe, but wait for sure.

Be liberal in telling people that you can’t do it now, can’t do it later, and maybe won’t get to it until next January.  It is better to surprise people by being early after such a warning then to have the personal pressure of keeping up pretenses.

Maybe we can start a revolution.  Get sick without worry, be able to stay down while we are sick, and then when we are up and energetic again, tackle life with order and stamina and confidence.

Good luck.  I hope you don’t get this bug.  It was a big, black, ugly one!

Find more helpful ideas in the House of Order Handbook.