h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've got huge piles of stuff to do, most of it stuff I WANT to do, yet am not getting any of it done.

There's loads of clutter hanging around, partly because 'Trash for Cash' came round to see if I'd be suitable for their show and asked me not too clear too much of it up. They keep leaving me messages saying a decision hasn't been made but frankly I need to get this clutter cleared and tidied!

Today I am taking the brave step of Throwing Away That Box of Cassette Tapes Without Looking Inside that I keep holding onto (so I know what songs I want to download as mp3s). I only ever look into it to remind myself what I don't want to throw away, but of course I've chosen a day when the binmen have just been so there's a chance I may fish it out again later.

Also I need to get some sort of filing system sorted out, as I've applied for membership of The Kennel Club Accreditation Scheme for Instructors in Dog Training and Canine Behaviour and at some point in the next 3-5 years will have to provide evidence of what I've done or learnt in the dog world, and so I need to get all the evidence I've already got tidied up and saved, and work out a good system on the computer so I can cross reference in case a piece of evidence needs to be in two different modules.

PLUS I want to get some leaflets printed up for my business, so I have to dig around my email and the internet to find all the info I've posted about myself and get that neat and tidy for my nice printer man to print. At the moment I appear to have a 'hobby' (because dog walking is so far not supporting me or my mortgage) and do need to turn it into a business.

There's also the correspondance course that I need for the Accreditation that will take AT LEAST two years and so need to clear the decks ready for that.

And finally, I need everyone to understand that 3-5 years is so far in the future I'll have changed my mind about what I want to do, especially if it gets difficult so will then need the willpower to chuck everything away and start the new hobby....

ps Obviously I wrote that to fill in the time I had between dog walks so that I wouldn't have to do any of the stuff I'm talking about.

There must be something in the air ... I'm glooming around the house looking at the number of things I should be getting on with simply as an avoidance strategy for not finishing stripping the wallpaper in the bathroom - ie, I'm not actually doing *anything* at all.

Let's just choose ONE thing and get that done.

I recently made a spreadsheet of all my singles so that I knew what I wanted to download as MP3s. Obviously I didn't throw the singles away after I'd made the list . I think in the end I did chuck all the compilation tapes *without* making a list and the good news is, I've not missed them since

Have you had a look at the Tesco value motivational poster? Might help.

Mol

Is that the one that says 'get motivated' or something?

I have done a bit this afternoon. Much helped by J being back at school and it being peaceful around here. Found a letter from tax credit who wanted a reply to their stupid question about nonsense that they've made up about a week ago. Whoops. Also the automatic tracking device I had fitted three weeks ago I was supposed to register within 14 days. Whoops again.

There may be some more Whoops, but J is home now and having a paddy so all my concentration has gone.

Box of tapes still not binned, but I Will. Honest.

What's your one thing you're getting done? I feel v superior now as I've Done Some Stuff.

Oh, well done . I'm always finding whoops like that. And I've just remembered another one which I was supposed to do today (send a subscription cheque off). Yes, the Tesco poster is the Please Motivate Yourself one.

I Sorted Laundry, which was a pretty big job as it also involved tidying up the clothes drawers/cupboards of husband and son. So I feel I achieved something. I also picked off a bit more wallpaper in the bathroom while Osh was in the bath.

Sort the laundry also usefully highlighted the fact that Osh seems to have lost one of his two brand new school sweatshirts , and doesn't have a shirt for the wedding we're going to tomorrow, only polo shirts. So we will need to travel via shops. Sigh.

Mine don't go back until Monday. I've been on leave for a week now and I've taken Monday off too, so I can get them all safely off and then have the whole house to myself for a few hours. I'm spending *that* time doing all my guide preparation for the new term.

How's J getting on?

J is happy at school now, choses to play in Golden Time because That's What His Mates Do which is great! He's just gone into the 4th year, that's, er, 1,2 3,4,5,6 7,8,9,10! Year 10. He didn't get to pick options, but keeps telling there's No Way he's doing GCSE Art but will do PE. So different from the kiddie who was banned from PE for nearly a year!

He's off to an agricultural college one day a week for a couple of terms to do Horticulture and woodwork on their working farm. I'd prefer they concentrate more on his academic skills, but it is a side effect of allowing him to go to this school that I have to accept that J is never going to get the education everyone else gets because no matter where he goes he's going to be Special Needs in one way or another.

All I want for him at this stage is the chance of a decent working life, and I guess it doesn't matter what job he does as long as he gets one and keeps one. Although his dad and I were talking of him doing design of some sort, and keeping us in Our Old Age.

Right. Today, my list includes, writing short 'report' on what three cats have been doing for the past week, sorting out some dog stuff I don't need and dropping it off at the house of Friends of Wallace Kennels so they can sell them on one of their stalls for the local rescue, other general 'house' chores, remembering I have to fit in an extra dog today (who won't walk at all so it's a bit tricky), and most important, I want to get the court papers off for the woman whose dog bit Beauty.

Other than that, there's tackling the Stuff. Which grew a bit when J put three letters on it last night.

What are your kiddies doing with themselves at school?

That's so nice to hear about J

Nod goes into Yr 8 (second year) and Sic Yr 6 (4th year - last year of primary school ) tomorrow. And Osh is in yr 3 which means I no longer have a child in key stage one

Have to say it's just generally loads easier now that they're older though

We were at DH's brother's wedding yesterday so didn't get anything done at home at all. Did check over the tent today, though, and get all the PE kits etc ready Also realised that the reason I didn't get much done on Friday was because I had a split focus. The local launch party for Girlguiding UK's centenary was yesterday, and I had stuff to do for that (even though I couldn't go) and of course I had stuff to get ready for us going to the wedding. So ... ended up not doing either, and had to do it all between 8 and 9 in a frantic rush before we left the house. Sigh.

Have kept things reasonably tidy today so that I don't waste valuable time tomorrow ... How's your to-do list doing now?

Didn't get on with any of the paperwork, but I did tidy it up into one pile and sorted all the magazines out so I can take them with me in the van. In quiet moments I go through ripping out all the pages I want to keep. It's an old habit I got into when the previous habit of writing page numbers on the front cover didn't work to remind me there was something I wanted to do. Nor does dog earing the pages, so back to ripping I think.

Got my dining room reorganised, J's school gerbils have gone back to school so things are tidy out there again, AND got rid of all the dog stuff (except some food which I forgot) and loads of cat stuff.

I am going to try to get into a habit of finishing walking work and doing an hour of paperwork before J comes home from school.

So you had two parties at the weekend? No wonder you've been busy!

"Habit is a smooth groove in the brain". That was a quote in my old guiding handbook. Some things I have never managed to make into a smooth groove (eg, waking up at the crack of dawn. Well, waking up, basically). I did get into the habit of ripping the pages out of and disposing of my Guiding magazine as soon as it arrived, but it really needs to arrive once a week not once a month for that to work

Anyway, did quite a lot today - bit of a hiccup when I couldn't get the printer to work but my technical support team (DH) talked me through reconfiguring both the router and the printer (he'd made some changes at the weekend )

Also remembered that I am now taking three Friday afternoons out of four off work to give myself more time

London tomorrow so have to be up at the very crack of dawn ...

Well done for getting stuff done . I am working on the bits added since I last made an attempt, but then hope to get a bit further down.

I have also got to sort some figures out for the accountant so I can get my first set of accounts! Woohoo! and no tax to pay. Although also, poo. As I do need to earn some money!

Hopefully the next set will be better.

I always find depriving the taxman quite motivating ...

I do try to find business expenses to avoid him myself. Luckily I quite like dogs, so tend to buy a lot of dog 'stuff'.

Sorry I've been procrastinating about sending motivation. Is it still a requirement or can I just carry on looking busy?

Yes please I would like it. Was just filling in a form yesterday to find out I'd done it a bit wrong and the motivation Mol had inspired in me dwindled and died.

Go do it, Mina. Now. Or I shall scream.




(Is that enough? Alex )

Okay, I've made my stuff to do pile smaller. By going through it and taking things out of envelopes and recycling the envelopes.

And I can't use my mouse because the urgent stuff is stitting on my mouse mat. That should work?

My to-do pile is huge - mainly because I've only had about 12 waking hours in my own home in the past fortnight

But jolly well done to you

Mol

It's grown again. I thought there was a post strike? I still keep getting stuff to do through my letterbox.

I've now got a few hours to go through it, but sadly the light is falling on my screen and making it difficult to see. any excuse...

Ooh, ooh, I sorted out approximately a billion pieces of paper today! And wrote cheques and filled in forms and put all the sorted but unactioned pieces of paper in labelled envelopes *so I know what to do with them* when I next get some to-do time!

Took bloody hours though.

And no, I haven't noticed any reduction in the post I need to action coming through the letterbox either.

Mol