I have been keeping track of Organized Christmas because there are few things I find more pleasurable than being organized and Christmas (these few things may or may not include winning the lottery and naps).
And every day, they diligently send me another task to complete on my Christmas Countdown so I can get ready for Christmas. I haven’t even started reading the countdown entries, much less gotten a binder together to keep track. I currently have a very slapdash Excel file that I’m using to keep track of holiday receipts, and what needs to be planned for [The Boy's] annual Christmas party.
I’m trying to fight letting this over-planning for a semi-distant holiday mean that somehow, my life is spinning out of control. I tell myself, I am very busy: I am going to school, I am working full-time, I am working part-time. I’m trying to balance.
But at the same time, I’m very acutely aware that I have a finger-tip grasp on all of the things that I am trying to get done. GTD, productivity, and organization practices are life practices designed to help busy people get everything done. But my practice of this art comes in fits and spurts.
An engine works harder when it starts and stops (city driving), than it does by working continuously (highway).
I also have to keep reminding myself that wearing a hair shirt doesn’t make me a better person: killing myself working on the skulduggery projects in my life doesn’t mean I’m better person. It might just mean I’m a masochist. Sure, I need to plan a time to make Christmas cookies for Christmas, but I really should be fitting it into my schedule because I like it, not just because I feel like I have to do it for a productive Christmas.
