I’m back with a short to-do list for this week. Life has settled back down to normal since last Monday and for that I am grateful. I was able to knock off the remaining items since the last time I posted my GSD List and am back with a totally new tasks.

I am only including this week’s To Do’s instead of my usual Monthly/Yearly/10 year goals because I am short on time (and also it probably gets redundant seeing those weekly.)

• Watching Rex through Thursday
• Make Pot roast Monday when you get home
• Swim on Tuesday or Thursday, or both if you’re feeling bold.
• Put Poang chairs away in loft
• Catch up Bible reading (30 pages)
• Put motivation book on Kindle to read during lunches
• Monday night: pack for training class (tissues, water bottle, edamame for snack in Ziploc bag) Note: I am away from my usual office this week and all of the comforts of my cubicle I am sorely missing. Never thought I would miss my cubicle.

Hope you have a wonderful, productive week! Go Get Shit Done!

I am not going to post a GSD list this Monday because it would look identical to last week’s. Nothing on that list Got Done. Not a damn thing.  Last week life got in the way. My boyfriend was in a car accident and the time devoted to undoing the mess  (impound twice, subsequent doctor appointments, driving him to and from work) sucked up my free time and my mental reserves. I hope I don’t sound like I am not complaining; I’m not. Just trying to be honest about where my time went.  Things could have been a lot worse! He is fine and his car has very minor damage. I am convinced that dude has Captain America as guardian angel.

So last week was externally focused, my own priorities shifted to more pressing matters than shredding old documents. But how do I get back on track? Could I have gotten some “sh*t” done through all the other sh*t? If I think about it, I did do some things, but they weren’t on the list: I mailed my mom a Mother’s Day Card, carried on with my bible reading, did laundry on a rainy Saturday, decluttered a particularly overstuffed kitchen cabinet, made time for three impromptu social events, and spent 12 hours away from my phone. (Sure it was entirely involuntary because I left my phone in a friend’s car,  but I survived it and felt good to take a break from its constant lure.)

Gun to my head, sure I could have probably accomplished the tasks, but that’s not what the GSD is supposed to be. It’s supposed to motivate me and hold me accountable, not hold me hostage to things that simply don’t make sense in that time. I wrote that list last Sunday, after the accident but before I realized what an impact it would have on my week.  I guess I was being optimistic or more likely, didn’t think through what having one car would mean between the two of us.

Of course something serious like a car accident, hospitalization, or extreme weather can throw you off your groove but sometimes minor incidents or even fun events can do the same. (Last minute ski trip, dinner invite, whatever!) What’s important is not to let the fact that you’re off schedule become an excuse to stay off schedule. Don’t let your lack of progress from before influence the progress you could make in the future. And don’t beat yourself up about it because your GSD list is meant to be adapted to serve you and what’s going on in your life, and not the other way around.

Things have normalized. By tomorrow we will be back to two cars and my list will still be there, ready for me and I’ll try, try again.