Painfully Productive

I hit the snooze button on my alarm 20 times today.  That’s once every 9 minutes for 3 hours.

Regardless, I got shite done.

1. Return Key Fob To Ex-Place Of Work Even Though They Forgot To Ask For It In The First Place

The most wonderful thing in the whole world to do after you were “let-go” with no explanation is return to your workplace due to their oversight.  Oh no wait… it’s not.  It’s a really truly awful thing to have to do.  But I’d like my last expense cheque, and I’m just a nice person, so today I went (been putting it off all week) and returned not only the key fob, but also some program papers that they wouldn’t have even noticed were missing, along with a bus ticket and a cheque for the $5 I had owing on the canteen tab.  Yeah, that’s right, I’m so ethical and considerate and whatnot… do they regret getting rid of me yet?  Also, it came to light in the painful small talk that occurred that my employment was terminated not only a few weeks before Christmas, but a few weeks before my birthday… do they feel bad now?  I even wished them a merry Christmas… I’m just that nice.

2. Get My New Driver’s License

The photo does not look very attractive (better than my passport, not as nice as my last license), but I figure I can lose it by summer and pay to get a new one.  Yes, I’m vain.

3. Deposit Severence And Vacation Pay Cheques Into Bank Account

I don’t know why I’ve been putting this off… likely because it makes things feel more final or something.  But it is final, and at least I can get some miniscule amount of interest out of it.

4. Return A Year’s Worth Of Not-My-Mail To The Places It Came From

The reason why this one’s been put off is that I’m just plain lazy.  I suppose I wasn’t really dreading it, but it certainly wasn’t getting accomplished.  Took the 5 minute walk to the mailbox today and finally got ‘er done (it’s more impressive than it sounds; it was -30 C with the windchill out there).

5. Popped The Hood And Dug Out The Cord For My Block Heater

I always put this off until it’s too late; perhaps it’s my own way of protesting winter?  Anyhow, every other year my dear father has done the honours, but this year, I did it myself.  Hurray for me, I’m so independent.

Sigh… This post reads really bitter and sarcastic… I’m bitter and sarcastic?  I think I was hoping that getting things done would fill me with that wonderful “I’ve accomplished something” feeling, but the amount I was dreading numbers 1 & 3, and the fact that actually doing them was painful didn’t help.  Plus the result of number 2 wasn’t so great.  And maybe the things we actually dread doing won’t make us feel good when we do them, as opposed to those things that we were just putting off… and the sense of accomplishment of those minor avoidances (like numbers 4 and 5) isn’t enough to make up for it?

Anyhow… I did things I was dreading doing, and I survived.  And that’s a good thing to learn.  The point of all of this is to be challenged, right?

Jennifer

Triumphant!

I broke my washing machine the first day I moved into this apartment. Since then, I have been washing clothes in a bucket. When it comes to washing my sheets, or jeans, or towels… it really sucks.

Anyway.  Today I finally got around to buying a new part. Total time investment: roughly 10 minutes. Total monetary investment: $0.30.

I fixed the machine myself, improvising a screw-driver from a set of keys. Yup. I’m feeling pretty awesome right now. Tomorrow I’m going to wash my sheets AND my towels. I think this will be more eco-friendly, too, since I will be able to wash more things at one time and won’t need to rinse things individually. Huzzah! Huzzah!

Sara

Not meant to offend…

So, I was debating putting this on here, simply because I didn’t want it to a) seem like a cop out, or b) offend those listers involved.

The thing is… I’m afraid of technology. It frightens me. I would much rather draw something out than try to figure out photo shop or something. For real. Facebook confuses me sometimes and it’s like the easiest thing ever. I will avoid using my computer at all costs, and when my old lap top died I was terrified of getting a new one incase it didn’t work the same way. Don’t even get me started on mac’s.

This being said, I was avoiding starting the list because I had NO IDEA how to use this blog thing. And I was a little intimidated. To be clear, I think it’s a great idea! I love reading what the others are doing, and I really do like sharing my experiences. I think I voted “maybe” to having a blog for this, because I didn’t want to say yes just incase I couldn’t figure it out.

Seeing that I was already a few days behind on the list, I decided to dive in. “Put on your big girl panties, Stephanie. It’s time”. My wonderful technologically advanced husband held my hand as I journeyed into this new world of “the blog”. I even figured out how to put in my picture. Woah. I have yet to figure out how to add pictures at the bottom of this entry… one step at a time, friends. One step at a time.

Stephanie

Another One Bites the Dust

Hooray for December 1st – let the list begin. My first challenge – Cross Something Off Of Your To-Do List That You Have Been Avoiding.

There are many things that I can think of which I avoid or put off for various reasons. So when it came to this challenge, there were a number of things that I could have taken on. It turns out that thinking of this inspired me to get a few things off the list. As I face one thing I’m avoiding it seems that it’s easier to face the next. And surprise, surprise, the thing I am avoiding isn’t as hard or as uncomfortable as what I was dreaded. Some of the things I avoid aren’t even hard or uncomfortable – they’re just not desirable – and I somehow think that if I put it off it’ll disappear. Well, they sure didn’t disappear, but they have made their way off my list of things that I have been avoiding. They are as follows:

1. Tell a friend that I haven’t passed on their gift to a mutual friend yet. Sounds pretty easy – just tell them. But I’ve put off telling them for a few weeks now. And why? Because I’m embarrassed that I haven’t passed the gift on and don’t want them to think poorly of me.

2. Pass on the gift that I haven’t given to the friend yet. Kind of a “part b” from the first one. And I actually haven’t sent it to them yet. BUT I bought stamps today and envelops. Into the mail it goes tomorrow. Why haven’t I done this yet? Mostly because I’m lazy and forgetful. And I think that the feelings of guilt for not doing it in the first place doens’t help.

3. Car care. I am a full time volunteer. I raise my own support financially. Something which I think on most days is a gift. And on all those other days – well, far from a gift. Especially when there are bigger expenses coming my way. I was given a car. What an amazing gift. I couldn’t do the work I’m doing without it. It’s too bad that cars need a little lovin’ along the way. Winter tires, brakes, oil change (and other fluids) and the loud engine noise. Those are all on the list of “car care”.  And all things that I have been avoiding. Aside from the winter tires, I’ve been silently praying for healing over my car – and not doing anything about it. And what really bites is that the longer it gets put off, the worse it gets, and the more money it will cost. I took the car in today to have winter tires put on it, so my team can drive the Coquihalla safely this weekend. I bit the bullet and got the oil changed as well (because as much as I say I’ll learn to do it – I probably won’t – though maybe with the List II I will – one of the challenges is to ask someone to teach you something). Wound up having my front brakes serviced as well (sorry back brakes, you’ll have to wait til next time – hold on please). So the car isn’t totally there, but I’d like to triumph my oil change, brake care and tire swap. Oh, and the loud engine noise? Not a big deal at all. Now for the big question – why oh why was I avoiding this? So I wouldn’t have to spend the money on it. Do I dread having to spend money my car? Yes. That and toilet paper.

4. Health care. I’ve been in Vancouver two years now – without health care coverage. The good news is that I haven’t been really sick or injured – so arguable haven’t needed it. But the thought does cross my mind time to time while snowboarding, driving my car, crossing the street, climbing rocks, riding my bike, “man it would suck if (fill in unfortunate situation here) happened. I’d be screwed”. I got it sent off and away in the mail today. Why had I been avoiding this one? The reason really had nothing to do with filling out form and putting them in the mail. Taxes. That’s the reason. I was putting off my taxes (there’s one thing that I find completely overwhelming. Does my head in) forever. Two years worth (don’t tell the government). I wanted to wait until my taxes were done to apply for health care so that I could get a reduced rate. But I’ve sent in my taxes and even got some money out of the deal, and so the health care forms are now out. Cross that one off the list of things that I have been avoiding, please.

There you go a few things that I have been avoiding for not so good reasons. As I think about it, comes down to:

a) being lazy or irresponsible

b) not wanting to be uncomfortable

c) feeling that it’s “too hard”

and yet, as I learned the last time I tackled a dreaded to do list, it wasn’t really that hard to do. And I feel all the more free for doing it.

HCR

Welcome to The List II

6 women (see “Participants”)

3 continents (see the locations in “Participants”)

27 challenges (see “Items of The List II”)

1.5 months (December 1, 2009 – January 15, 2010)

many reasons (see “What Is The List II?”)

1 blog (bravo! you’ve found it!)

hopefully regular updates and reflections on how we’re all faring with this undertaking…