The "to do" conundrum

My "to do" list is never ending. Literally.

Each time I cross something off I seem to add two more things. Excluding the usual chores — vacuum, dust, dishes, etc. — there are probably a dozen other things I wanted to get done this week alone and yet they haven't been crossed off.

It's a horrible affliction, this list of mine, and I've fallen into a rut. The list is getting so long it overwhelms me some days and then nothing gets done other than diaper changes and meals.

So, I added "drink wine" at the bottom; it's something I should have done weeks ago. I figured including alcohol would make it easier for me to get things done around the house, use it as an incentive to bust my ass and feel a little more accomplished in my new-ish role of stay-at-home mom and housewife.



It has yet to work the way I intended. Instead, my list has gotten twice as long, less things have been crossed off and by the time I could sit down with a glass of wine I'd rather crawl into bed and cuss at Angry Birds on my Nook until my eyes burn. For instance, I'm sitting in the living room watching Celebrity Ghost Stories and other ghost related shows, drinking tea and writing this when I could have uncorked anything from my wine collection and gotten tipsy. I'm not saying there still isn't time for that, but I'm almost too tired to give a darn about finding the corkscrew.

I would feel bad, though, if I started rewarding myself before getting anything done. I can't help but think about everything on that stupid list before going to sleep and how I plan to get so many things done tomorrow. Then when I drag my butt out of bed, it's the first thing I see in the morning when I groggily pour my coffee. I look it over while making breakfast for the kids.

Inevitably, while looking it over I add more. Then, throughout the day I sometimes find myself adding things to the list and immediately crossing them off because whatever it was I did wasn't on the list and I just needed the satisfaction of adding a check mark.

Tomorrow is a new day and I'm tired of feeling overwhelmed again, so I'm setting a goal to cross off at least five things before I add anything new. Thinking about the things I need to do tomorrow makes me wonder what other people put on their "to do" lists. Mine kind of looks like this:

Put tax info together
Stuff diapers
Baby books
Spare bedroom
Organize counters — bathroom/kitchen
Wash floors — bathroom/kitchen
Put laundry away
Find PnP bag
Find a dentist
Clean Ent. center cupboards
Medicine cabinet
Sort diapers to sell
Pay Time Warner bill

Oy.

Someday soon, I'm going to get at least half that list taken care of and when I do, I'm rewarding myself with a bottle of wine. Yes, bottle.