At last, we got to the closing post of this series – but while I was writing it, I realized it cannot be done by 10 posts.
Hence, a second series will be created – my todo list is growing 🙂
but it is also changing, and this is what counts.
In this last post I want to touch something I saw countless times in my work,
a fact that most people find the hardest to swallow;
not only in regards to todo lists but with whatever they work on.
Yet, I find it to be the most crucial ingredient to add if we want to take a step beyond,
keep growing, experiencing more wellness.
Can you guess what it is?
Maintenance
Like any relationship, once initiated, we must cultivate it, we must be there.
And the same goes with our lists – we need to maintain them.
Without this ongoing care, no matter how better we became in managing our lists,
it will not last.
This care includes checking them from time to time, re-arranging, re-writing them.
It involves taking time to collect those little notes we gathered, inserting their content into the MamaList.
We need to gather all the ideas, wishes, and tasks that circle in our heads and put them on the list. We need to find ways to describe better the tasks we procrastinate so we can carry them out without a hitch.
It may feel grunt and we may feel like Sisyphus at times, but if we re-frame the way we look at this work and make a habit out of it, it can become rather neutral, and I dare say even fun.
I read a funny, beautiful quote from Anna Karenina (which is close to this subject):
“Having handled my accounts, I feel like after a Turkish bath.”
And indeed I always observed this kind of relief after taking care of my list.
And my beloved clients actually look like they have just been to a Turkish bath! There is this sense of clarity, and we become as fresh as a daisy, ready for a new phase.
Some courage is needed
It may sound strange, but maintaining lists demands courage.
We may be facing the music when we face the things that we sincerely meant to do (necessary tasks and/or deep desires) but were not done.
It is common that when we sit down to arrange our lists, we stress,
experience guilt, or even fear. And sometimes it makes us feel that we are stuck.
But on the other hand, when we face it, we have already taken the first step to change the situation.
If we feel stuck, we can reach out for help, take a coach, a professional organizer, and even watch some inspiring videos about the subject.
We need to find out what is the next small step that can help us (it may even be to let go of the list for a while and catch forty winks!).
Time is needed too – no way around it
This maintenance takes time. There is no other trick here. It is as simple as that.
But interestingly enough, many do not internalize this fact: that it won’t happen by itself.
If we make time for it (like other regular activities as brushing our teeth), it will be done.
Not necessarily a lot of time, but a portion of it every once in a while.
The sooner we let this fact to dawn on us and agree to invest in this upkeep,
the more we can befriend our lists and bring more flow to our lives.
Well… what do you say?
Are you into befriending your list?
Schedule it in your calendar, call it in a funny name
(like the MTM Time – Maintaining the MamaList J), put some music/ podcast,
and enjoy your Turkish bath!
LMK how it worked for you,
Happy maintenance,
Be lucky!
Sunyata
