My Need for Goals

I didn’t used to be a procrastinator, but now that I have 3 kids, I tend to take care of the urgent first.  This means that sometimes my really good plans get altered when real life sets in.   I have found that if I want to tackle a large project or extra thing (extra being not laundry, groceries, cleaning, cooking… those necessities of life) I need to make a self-imposed deadline in order for it to happen.  It needs its own "urgency" so to speak.

When my first born turned one I made a scrapbook of his first year.  I finished it shortly before his first birthday so I was able to sit it out at his first birthday party for friends and family to skim through.  2 years later when my daughter was born, I made a similar book for her.  As I sat down every night for a month working on it I told myself with my next child I will work a little each month so I don’t have such a monumental task in front of me with three kids vying for my attention at the same time.   I really intended to work on it a little each month. 

That’s not exactly how book number three happened.  In fact, I didn’t even leave myself a month.  I cropped the first picture only one week before her party and I spent every night last week working on her book.  I finished the book at 3 am the night before her party.  I knew that not many people would look at the book at the party but I also knew that if I didn’t sit down and finish it before her party, chances are she would be graduating high school with a half finished baby book.   So,I cropped, taped, and laid out the pages of her book, driven by this self imposed deadline. 

It worked!  I now have a completed 45 spread baby book for my baby girl.  I know without this goal, I’d be sitting with an empty book right now. 

The only way I can make progress on "extracurriculars" is by setting goals and working to achieve them.  Often times I give myself a monthly to do list.  This approach works for me, it keeps me from getting defeated when life gets busy.  For other tips that work for others, check out Rocks in My Dryer.