Working the Plan, Planning the Work

So after writing most of a blog post about how using my flight manual is changing my life, I sort of forgot about the post for a week—well, mostly I just kept putting off rounding it up and trying to make it more coherent. This is called Life, in which we take two steps forward and one step back. I’m still calling this a win.

On Monday of last week (now the week before last) I wrote in my morning journaling, “I’m excited about this week! Yesterday I pushed through bc I had an excellent plan that didn’t survive meeting the enemy–lack of sleep–but hey. I adapted! Yes, I dropped a couple of need-to-do tasks for (hopefully) a day, and will do them tonight, and now I am sufficiently ready for my week that I won’t be eating junk food every meal due to lack of planning! I feel very successful.”

Because my Flight Manual reminds me that I’m trying to write at least a blog post a week, and the above is not enough for a post, on Tuesday of that week I wrote, “I’ve been meaning to wash my car for a while, but I wanted to take it to be vacuumed and all. (I hate doing that, so I pay for it to be done.) Therefore I wanted to get the stuff I’ve tossed in my car (recyclables, firewood from camping back in February) out, because if it looks like trash the car wash people will toss it, and if it doesn’t, they set it neatly on the back seat, and that’s not where I want my firewood.”

Washing the car had been an intention for a while with zero progress but a small amount of beating myself up about my failure. I just kept not doing it, though I did keep putting it on my to-do list. So I broke it down further. The best thing I have for carrying firewood right now is a bucket, so I put on my list to get the bucket from out back, and put it in the car. At some point when my hands aren’t full, I would then gather the firewood.

Then yesterday when I was getting out of the car after work (with a long list of more urgent evening tasks ahead of me!) I spotted two aluminum cans that had been under my seat but were now exposed, and grabbed them and stuck them in my lunch bag to bring in the house and dispose of properly.

And this morning (Wednesday of that week, I think) just now, I remembered I needed the bucket. It is now sitting in the hallway, waiting to go out with me.

Thursday of that week when I got home, the bucket was in the car. I was in the carport. I put the wood in the bucket and set it in the front of the carport to deal with later and NOW THERE IS NO WOOD IN MY CAR. It was there almost two months, but I finally moved it!

You Born Organized people can go ahead and laugh. We who struggle know—I’ve Accomplished Something.

I have now taken my car to the car wash, and the child and I walked across the street to get some fancy coffee while My Precious (yes, read that in Gollum’s voice) was cleaned and vacuumed and shined to look just as awesome as she is.

Y’all. I made a plan to get my car washed and I did it.

Huge. I’m telling you. And it’s not my first success, so not a one-hit wonder, either!

Generalizing Success

After that, I was hopeful. Then Monday night (last week,) I spent doing the few things I’d had to let slide from Sunday, mainly some meal prep. I spent all evening on that! Didn’t get anywhere near the editing. I was in despair.

The great thing about meal prep, though, is you only have to do it once every so many days. So for about four days, I didn’t have to fix any food. At all. Editing thus moved forward.

Lork knows it’s not as easy as just making a plan. I’ve made so many plans in my life, that didn’t survive the first contact with the enemy (life.) But this time. THIS TIME.

Part of it is because the plan is always in front of me. I put my flight manual away when I’m editing or writing, but then I take it out and record my progress, and I leave it open in front of me. it’s RIGHT THERE. I can make changes or whatever, but what I want to do is right in front of me.

Part of it is figuring out how to record things. What works for ME? And that…oh that. Purely trial and error. Try and try and try and try…but if you don’t try, you’ll NEVER find it.

Also I’ve already made my breakfasts for the coming week (smoothie bowls in mason jars in the freezer) and after a break to poke at other things, I went back to make my lunches (mason jar salads.) So I’m all set for this week too.