List Anxiety

About a month ago, my sister shared an article that really struck a chord with me. She knows me so well :)

The article talks about "To Do" lists and how many of us struggle to keep each item separate and isolated.

It discusses how a lot of us see every task piled together and end up feeling overwhelmed. Sadly, I am guilty of this pretty much every day of my life. It's a common cause of anxiety for me. However, I am working on it. I know life's "To-Do's" only increase (in numbers and in weight of importance) as we grow older and take on more serious responsibilities.

So the reason I'm sharing all of this is because lately I have not been viewing my 101 list as individual, motivating, fun goals. Rather, I've been seeing it as a huge list of tasks that I need to find time and schedule into my calendar. This was not the point of the project at all so I needed to veer back onto course.

After reading the article and viewing each item individually, I realized that I am accomplishing parts of the 101 list all the time. The items might not be mastered in the most perfect, full, ideal way... but every small step towards the goal should be celebrated!

These are some of the goals that I have been taking strides with for the past month:

38. Take better care of my face (toner, moisturizer, etc)

While my face might not be as dazzling, beautiful, and healthy as my hopes are for this goal, I have been making more of an effort each night to take care of my skin. I used to constantly skip washings or the other usual infractions, but I have been much better lately! I purchased an astringent I use regularly and a scrub that I've incorporated into my shower routine. I also keep facial-wipes on hand so I can at least quickly wipe away the day's grime before I hop into bed. Nothing big is accomplished by these steps...but they are definitely a positive change!

44. Spend 6 weekends without TV (0/6)

I have not had a TV in my living quarters for the past 28 days. However, there have been a few instances where a quick snippet was snuck in. I probably could knock out 3 of my TV-free-weekends just from being at my job this summer, but I'm going to wait. I have a different vision for this goal besides "being too busy and away at camp". That's kind of cheating. Nonetheless, I haven't missed the ol' television too much. It's also amazing how much more free time you have when you don't waste hours watching shows. It is good practice to not have it around and helpful to know that this task is easily within reach.

51. Improve my Spanish

One of the girls I'm working with this summer is from Mexico and it is the perfect chance for me to practice my language skills with her. It is so embarrassing how much I have forgotten and my accent is so horrible! However, it is another small step that gets me thinking back along those lingual lines and refreshes some vocabulary in my head.

52. Make a new girlfriend

Done and done. I have made some great new friends who I know are going to stay in my life in some form of another. The only reason I'm not going to cross this off as "finished" is one small hitch...none of these ladies live in NYC! While it's great that I have more connections to different places across the US, it is not the same as having a new friend in the city right here where I live.

Take some time to check out the article. If nothing else, it helps me to stop and realize what small steps I can take (or have already taken) to feel a sense of progress. To me, a sense of progress equals a sense of accomplishment, which is all I need in order to ease a little of my "To Do" anxiety.