Putting more on than I seem to be taking off

This morning I got the washing out.

Doesn't sound a massive achievement, but it's a little achievement on the way to the end of the day.

That sounds as though I'm wishing away the day, which I suppose – it being a work day – I am.

But it was actually more of an achievement than it sounds, and not just because I want to feel that I have already achieved something today, meaning I know I will definitely have achieved something by the end of the day.

It was jogging day today. As discussed once a long time ago, this means getting the early train, so leaving the house considerably earlier even than normal. So to get up, leave the house earlier than normal, AND still have time to put the washing out actually is an achievement.

But this isn't the double achievement of getting the washing out AND jogging; this is a full-on triple rollover lottery win of an achievement: this is the first time in a very long time – possible since New Year – that my washing bin has been entirely empty.

Oh that feels good.

That's one list empty. Ticked off. All done.

Well, for now at least.

And this kind of reflects my life at the moment: ticking things off of one list merely means shifting the focus onto another list.

So that one has been completed; and the “Spare Room Job List” has pretty much been ticked-off too, having achieved ; Absolute Completion but in doing so I have now created a new list: the “Clothes Audit List” (pants and socks have already been ticked off this, but I'm not progressing any further with this until next week. Oh, and a second: “Project Move Lounge to Bedroom” list; of which I suppose the Clothes Audit List really is a sub-list as I can't progress with that list until I have done the clothes audit and can therefore remove some of the built in wardrobes.

So, in the meantime I can get back to concentrating on the Garden List. This has been very neglected of late, and as other lists have gotten short so this has just gotten longer. There are all the various different patches to weed – nothing new there except that I am behind schedule – plants that need planting out; and areas that are 'project areas': previously all work has been maintenance work, just keeping them as they are and stopping them from deteriorating, but now they actually need a full clear-out and planting up properly how I want them

The Garden List ought be smaller than normal: with having had my holiday right in the middle of sowing and setting season, I have decided not to undertake my vegetable growing on the usual scale, so they are not on the list.

Or at least not as many as normal.

Those that have been started – a few tomatoes is probably about it – are somewhat hindered by not being able to get into the greenhouse, because it is full of wood from a pallet. This was the pallet that the plaster came on but will be used to make a proper greenhouse staging. But that is just another project on the Major Project List. And a prerequisite of that is getting the greenhouse empty of other clutter.

That's another list.

And that's just outside.

My Personal Project List: the various things that I work on in my 'down-time' (if I ever get back to having such a thing) have not progressed at all whilst I have been concentrating on the spare room. If anything I have been adding 'contributions' which have actually just made each project bigger.

And whilst the washing may have been done, those items in the ironing and the sewing piles have increased. Tonight's list involves cleaning the kitchen and bathroom which does at least mean that the “Getting the House Ready for a Guest at the Weekend List” should be complete, as well as ticking a few more items off the “General House Cleanliness List” which also took a victory when the tablecloth and doormat were included in the final wash-loads.

And this is just the tangible stuff.

My “Things to Ebay” list has also been neglected and I am now looking at that. Most of the things on there are items that I am clearing out as part of Project Move Lounge to Bedroom.

But there is also the digital media tidy-up. This is really one of my Personal Projects: a few years ago I noticed how disorganised the music on my computer was. I had certain songs on there twice because they were on two different albums, or had been titled differently for some reason, and the display names were inconsistent: some would display artist then track; some artist then album then track; some track number then title and then artist. So I undertook a massive overhaul and tidy-up which was Substantially Complete at the end of last year; however there are a few that have slipped through the net, so it just needs me to sit for a couple of hours and finally audit the library. And the video library has hardly been started yet.

And then there is all the media that I have heard or heard of and haven't gotten around to downloading (legitimately, obviously) yet. That list just seems to grow exponentially.

Even the list of things that I want to write about on this blog seems to multiply rather than diminish.

And it's not as though going to work offers any respite. I have been put onto so many different projects that I hardly have time to catch up on my own professional development: I have updates and periodicals that I have been intending to get around to reading for weeks now; but because I have taken on the challenge of undertaking another series of training presentations; writing a few more articles to publicise our service; reviewing the content of one of the websites as well as technical testing on two of the new product releases. Even at work things seem to be getting on top of me and I hardly have a moment to scratch my arse.

So, whilst things are getting ticked-off on one list; or a list is getting removed from the list of lists entirely; other lists are being added or added to. I sometimes wonder whether they actually balance out.

Still, at least I got the washing out.