No more to-do lists

I don't know about you, but sometimes I hate to-do lists. They just remind me of what I'm not getting done. After a week of seeing "clean toilets" on my job list, I could about puke. (Okay, so maybe it's not the list that's causing me to wretch.)

Today there was no more putting it off. The house (and toilets) needed immediate attention. But instead of making a to-do list, I just dug in and got started. I put my favorite classic rock CDs in the stereo and turned up the volumn. In about an hour and a half the house was sparkling.

Feeling great about what I'd accomplished, I decided to write an "it's-done" list -- an inventory of all the tasks I accomplished. It went something like this:

unloaded/loaded the dishwasher

emptied and re-lined the kitchen, bathroom, office and laundry room garbages

cleaned both upstairs toilets

cleaned both bathroom sinks and countertops

scrubbed the master bathroom shower

scoured the kitchen sink

polished all the upstairs mirrors

cleaned both sides of the window on the patio door

shook all the upstairs rugs (6) -- vacuumed them too

swept the hardwood and bathroom tile

vacuumed the stairs

vacuumed all the upstairs carpet (including my closet)

Whew! Now when my kids complain about the jobs they have to do I can pull out my "it's done" list and say, "Oh yeah! Well look at all the work I did. Quit your bellyaching!" And when my husband asks me what I did today, I'll actually have an answer.

And hey, who knows what tomorrow's "it's-done" list will say. Maybe something like:

read 100 pages in Gone with the Wind

took the dog on a looooong walk

visited with my grandma

filed some magazine clippings

took a little nap

thought about making supper

decided to let everyone forage for themselves.