The three most dangerous words in carrying on much of life are “for now” and “later”.  (This isn’t an original thought with me; I’ve read the concept in many organizing articles.)  I am generally much more organized than the average citizen; it’s a trait I inherited, so I come by the vice honestly.  But even so, I still fall into those traps.  Lately, I’ve been examining just how much of my life I procrastinate by using those two phrases, how deadly they are, and how simple it often is to avoid them.

How often do I put something down somewhere “for now”, when it would take less than a minute to take care of it properly?  I have a dirty dish.  It would take 15 seconds to put it in the dishwasher, but do I?  No.  I put it on the counter by the sink “for now”.   I go shopping and get a new toiletry item that goes in the master bathroom.  It would take less than 30 seconds and about 50 steps round-trip to put it away.  Do I?  No.  I put it on the bar, where it sits for three or four days…. or more… before I finally remember to carry it with me when I’m headed that way anyway.  I stock up on bread that needs to be double-bagged and tossed in the freezer.  It takes about 15 seconds per loaf to get it ready.  How many days do you want to guess it may sit on that counter, cluttering up the kitchen, before I take care of it?  A basket of laundry that takes less than 5 minutes to fold is left on the couch “for now” rather than being done right away; it will still be there by evening, which means more often than not my sweet husband will do it – which I appreciate, but which he shouldn’t have to do!   Sometimes “for now” turns into almost “for ever”.  Those washed and folded towels that I put on top of the cedar chest instead of into the linen closet? They may sit there until I change towels again.  (Which may not be nearly as soon as it should!)  That magazine article Mama clipped for me to read?  Still sitting on the bar weeks later, buried under all that other “for now” stuff.  (And we won’t even talk about my desk!)

Then there’s “later”.  I’m at my computer doing something, and I remember that I need to write a quick, 30 second “thinking of you”, “how’d your surgery go?”, or “let’s get together” email.  Do I do it while I’m thinking about it?  No.  I think “I’ll do it later”, only later never comes.   I know a birthday is coming up in a few weeks. Do I get a card NOW? No, “I’ll do it later”. Suddenly it’s the night before the birthday, and guess what? No card!  A button comes off my shirt.  It will take less than 2 minutes to sew it back on.  Do I go ahead and do it while I’m thinking about it?  No.  I put it on my mending pile to be done “later”.   3, 4, 10 months – a year! – down the road, I finally get around to taking care of that mending pile.  My kids used to (only half-) jokingly give items a kiss goodbye when they had to put an item into that pile.  They knew they might not see it again before they outgrew it!

It’s so easy, isn’t it?  At least, it SEEMS easy.  In reality, I’m robbing myself!  All those undone tasks are a constant emotional drain. Sometimes they’re a sinister whisper of guilt, “You’re lazy!  or “Your MOTHER didn’t keep house like this!”  [note:  my mother disputes this notion that she was a perfect housekeeper, but “the mom in my head” was, and that’s what matters.]  Sometimes those tasks are  pulling at me this way and that way, waving their hands and crying out like kids in a classroom waiting for the teacher to call on them.  “Do ME!”  “No, ME!”  “No, ME ME ME!”  The more the piles build up, the even bigger they get in my mind, until they assume such gargantuan proportions that it seems impossible to begin attacking them.   All self-inflicted.  “Lord, what fools these mortals be!”

So, how to counterract all this?  I’m working hard at doing things right away, putting things where they belong in the first place, doing little tasks right away, thinking realistically about how much time a task will take instead of letting it convince me that it’s bigger than it really is.  Most of all, I’m reminding myself how much better I’ll feel about myself if I don’t “for now” or “later”!  The satisfaction that comes with doing what I ought to do far outweighs the seeming convenience of avoiding the task.  Of course, there are some days when I truly am too busy to do some things.  I let it be ok – but as soon as I can, I get caught up.  I try to use little bits of time that come my way – while I’m talking on the phone (hurray for cordless phones and headsets!), waiting for water to heat for tea, those 5 minutes before the TV show starts (or all those commercials DURING the show!)  It’s amazing how much those little bits of time can add up.  My house isn’t perfect.  I still don’t always get the emails written, the phone calls made, the cards bought.  But little by little, I’m reclaiming some sense of mastery!

OK, I have Saturday chores still to do, so I better finish this up ….. for now!  Talk to ya …. later!