My Didn't Do List

  
By Tamra Dawn
 

We all have our to-do list. We couldn't live without it. And we all know the best part of a to-do list is the crossing out part. You cross an item off that ever present and interminable list and you feel, Ah... that sense of accomplishment.

My to-do list almost always looks the same, with hardly anything crossed off ever. So I knew I had to do something. I, too, wanted that feeling of satisfaction, of accomplishment, the zing you get when you put that line throughout yet another item.

With the holidays coming, I knew my list would get even longer. Which means there’s less of a chance to get that wonderful crossed-out feeling.

So I created my didn't-do list. And the last thing I do every day, after brushing my teeth and making sure the doors are locked, is to cross every single item off my list. Now I go to sleep every night with an incredible sense of accomplishment and wake up ready to tackle all the things I’m not going to do tomorrow...

Here, in alphabetical order, is my daily list:

  • Be aware of my posture
  • Be nice to my husband
  • Be present for my children
  • Do 100 sit ups
  • Do 20 minutes of aerobic exercise
  • Do Kegels at every red light
  • Do something nice for me
  • Do weight-bearing exercises (no fair counting sitting on a chair)
  • Don’t answer the phone between 6 and 8 p.m.
  • Don’t sit with my legs crossed
  • Don’t squint
  • Exercise my hands every hour when at the computer
  • Feel grateful
  • File and paint my toe nails
  • Give my hair a vitamin treatment
  • Have cut up veggies in the fridge
  • Keep my stress to myself
  • Massage my feet
  • Meditate 20 minutes in the evening
  • Meditate 20 minutes in the morning
  • Not eat cookies before I go to sleep
  • Not eat cookies period
  • Put in my diaphragm before I go to sleep
  • Remember to drink milk and eat spinach
  • Rub body lotion on my heels
  • Slow down
  • Smile warmly at store keepers and other service people
  • Spend 20 minutes one-on-one time with each kid
  • And, oh, yeah, with my husband
  • Swim
  • Take calcium supplements
  • Tell my husband something I appreciate about him
  • Visit my mother
  • Write something creative

 

 

 
Tamra Dawn is a free-spirited freelance writer.
 
Ask a WholeFamily Expert
 
 
 
WholeFamily Home RegisterParent Center Home Page
Home / Parent Center / Helpful Hints

 
RECOMMENDED BOOKS

I Was a Better Mother Before I Had Kids

Aunt Erma's Cope Book: How to Get From Monday to Friday...in 12 Days


 


RELATED ARTICLES 
Getting Through the Witching Hour
Choosing the Right Gifts For Your Child
 


Search the Site
ISSUES
Adult Children
Between Mom & Dad
Between Siblings
Child Development
Communication
Discipline/Behavior
Divorce
Fathers and Mothers
Feelings
Friendships
Gifted Kids
Grandparenting
Health & Nutrition
LD/ADHD
Life Changes
Living & Dying
School
Sexuality
Sleep
Substance Abuse
Toilet Learning
TV & Computers
AGES
Early Childhood
School-Age
Teen
COMMUNITIES
Single Parents
Working Moms
Blended (Step)
Families
FEATURES
SYLVIA RIMM, PhD
Dramas
Contests
Crisis Center
Daily Dilemma
Hot Topics
COLUMNS
Reflections from Ruth
Under Sherri's Hat
WholeMom
PERKS
Family Fun
Helpful Hints
Parent Epiphanies

Great Parenting Tips

Wisdom of the Ages
 

Search by
Issue and Age




 
send this page to a friend
 
feedback

 


Family humor