The reverse to-do list

What's on your to-do list? If your immediate response to that is 'which one?' then we are on the same page. I do love a list and find that it really focuses me when I need to get things done.

The days when I don't have a list can vary greatly in productivity, and more often than not will involve veering from rearranging the bookshelf to googling 'how tall was captain Pugwash' before realising that it's lunch time and I haven't yet switched on my computer. 

However, sometimes the to-do list can feel really overwhelming, so I was intrigued when I was recently invited to make a list of all the things I wanted to stop doing. This seemed like a refreshing change and something that I could perhaps achieve without requiring several nudges from other people or that sinking feeling that arrives when it seems impossible to physically get everything done.

So I set about with my new list.

I didn't go mad, just 4 or 5 things that I could kick into touch for a while. I decided to start an experiment and see if I could not do some of these things for a whole month, since the following day was May 1st.

One of the things that I really wanted to stop was doing more than one thing at a time. Another was to stop filling the silence with the radio or an audio book. Yet another was to eat all my meals mindfully, especially in the evening when I tend to eat with the TV on. 

This is how Dinner for One was born. A new habit of setting the table, lighting a candle and simply eating. Now, if you've been on retreat with me or perhaps completed a course you'll know that I'm already a big fan of mindful eating. But what I have enjoyed about May is the consistency of doing something so simple every day that made me feel good too. 

It set the tone for my evening. And when I hadn't decided to watch TV in the first place, I was much more likely not to switch it on at all. This gave me more time for reading or pretending that I am in control of the weeds that dominate my otherwise perfect cottage garden (yeah, right!)

I've also found that doing one thing at a time is pretty productive. The silence did mean that I was the last to know about the general election, but I think I'm ok about that.

Now that June is here, I will definitely be continuing with my list on a similar vein. It's given me valuable time to think, and to just be. 

I will still turn the music up LOUD, binge a Netflix series, and make a bag of Twiglets disappear then wonder where the wrapper came from. I love my ability to voice note while I walk or learn something new while I'm driving or in the bath. Just not all the time.