Mindless Productivity
Someone please get this Halloween candy OUT OF MY HOUSE!! Every morning I’m faced with this big yellow bowl of chocolate and I think I’m going to die of candy poisoning (or grow to the size of a small house) if it doesn’t disappear QUICK! I think I’ll give the boys until Friday to enjoy their new found wealth, in the form of solidified high fructose corn syrup, and then it’s to the trash it goes!
On another note entirely, I had to go shopping today for the dreaded items like cleaning products, paper towels, toilet paper…the things you can’t live without, don’t have to shop for very often, and cost a fortune! I’ve been in the mood for lemon scented Pinesol (I know, I know, WHO craves cleaning products?!? I DO!!) I was excited to get home with my lemon Pinesol, but I knew I didn’t have time to mop my entire kitchen. I got a phone call from a dear friend whom I haven’t spoken with in at least a month and we quickly got lost in conversation. As the call progressed, I finished putting all of my shopping items away and decided to fill the sink with water and Pinesol. 🙂 Ah, true love.
Without thinking much about it, I pulled out a rag, soaked it in the Pinesol water and wiped my counters down. Next thing you know, I was wiping the sink, the stove, the oven door, the refrigerator door, and top cabinets…then suddenly, I was flat on my butt on the kitchen floor wiping down every single cabinet door in my kitchen. No lie, by the time I hung up the phone, my kitchen not only smelled spectacular, but was spic and span!! I couldn’t believe I actually did it all while talking on the phone! And the best part is, I didn’t really even think about it, except an occasional fleeting thought like, “oh gross, I can’t believe I let the cabinets get this dirty!”
Those seem to be my most productive times; when I have a free moment and I “just decide” to get something done. Usually it’s between commercial breaks, while I’m on the phone, or waiting for water to boil. Whatever the opportunity may be, take advantage and get a few extra things done around the house. It doesn’t have to be cleaning; it can be ANYTHING. Write that thank-you note you keep forgetting to write. Pay that bill that MUST get in the mail by Friday. Pull all of the books on your bookshelf to the edge of the shelf (you’ll be amazed how much neater and more organized your shelves look, plus it cuts down on dusting!!). Think about this little challenge tomorrow. What are you going to try to get accomplished mindlessly? Make a habit of doing something productive everytime you’re on the phone or every other commercial break in the evening. It’s amazing the things that can get done with just five minutes here and ten minutes there.
Good luck!
~audrey