5,000 Things

I feel like I have 5,000 things to do today. And before you scoff because you know fair well that I don't work full time, lemme say this: I realize that I have my afternoons off, but I'm not one to willingly waste away the day. I like to get stuff done, and today is no exception—even though lounging on the couch and enjoying the fresh breeze as it floats through my house sounds temptingly lovely. Especially with this in plain sight:

But I can't do that. I can't sit and read the afternoon away because of all this:

My Prenatal & Postpartum Exercise Design course, which desperately needs to be completed but now sits haphazardly next to the coffee table in my living room. And also, apparently, among crumbs and gunk that need to be vacuumed up. (It's a good thing we're cleaning the carpets tonight, which means I have to move as much as I physically can out of each carpeted room in the house before the hubs gets home.)

An almost-finished room for Baby, perfectly painted but lacking doors and a closet system. Also a crib and a dresser, both of which sit boxed in our extra bedroom.

A basement full of laundry. Yes, that's the Maytag Man in all his cardboard glory. He scares me every time I walk into our basement. But I figure it's better than Heath the Joker, whose cardboard cutout sits in the room adjacent to this one.

Note, I also have to make a play list for class tomorrow and I have to make dinner...it really might not sound like a lot to do (I'm guessing some of you have kids), but to me...well, it makes my brain a little crazy. Let's just say I can be very easily distracted if I don't stay focused. And in my opinion, staying focused is one way we can keep our brains challenged. Or, in other words, keep our brain fit. It is, after all, a muscle.

Easier said than done, right?
Totally.

5 Ways to Stay Focused (while gettin' sh*t done)
1) Accept that you might not get everything done, but give it your best shot. There are only so many hours in the day, so we can only do what we can do before our bodies shut down for the night. Eliminating the "gotta get it done" mentality makes room for more focus.

2) Make a list...

...and stick to it. If "check out UsWeekly.com" isn't on your list, you'll be less likely to do it. That is, if you're stickin' to your list.

3) Take care of yourself all day long. Eat lunch, take a shower...get your workout in. You, after all, are more important than anything on your list of things to do. And clearly it's perfectly fine to write these things on your "To Do:" list.

4) Prioritize in order of importance or by the time it takes you to get something done. If a certain task can wait, then let it. If it's something you can chip away at all day long (like laundry), get it going early and consider it the task for between tasks. And if it's something that absolutely needs to get done, like, yesterday...then bite the bullet and get it done pronto! No more excuses.

5) Ask for help. Never, ever be afraid (or too proud) to ask for help. Sometimes, despite the idea behind Sarah Jessica Parker's new movie...we can't do it all. We can either accept that (see #1) or accept help from others on the tasks we know we'll struggle with.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check "Blog" off my list and move on to "Move things" in prep for tonight's big carpet cleanin' extravaganza. (Note: If you live in the area and need to clean your carpets, rent a carpet cleaner from Martin's. Yeah, the grocery store. It was $50 total for the cleaner, the cleaning solution and the deposit. $50! You get it for 24 hours. That's enough time, right?)

Question: How do you get things done?