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Sep. 4th, 2005 09:22 amWhat do you do when you know what you NEED to do but you just can not get motivated?
This applies to so many areas of my life. Is this a primary function of 1) slowing down physically as I age, 2) actually having more to do with the same # of hours in a day or 3) laziness?
I swear I remember a time when I DID go to bed with my "to do" list blank. Now I go through complete days without checking off one item on that it. And the list keeps growing.
I wonder if this is more of a modern day problem much like the difference between how credit is used today and how my parents' generation used credit. My parents had no credit cards only one "Revolving Sears" account and one at the local shoe store. They charged only when they did not have the cash and then paid it off before they charged a second time. My parents always paid cash for their cars even the few times they bought a new one. They actually achieved the goal of paying off all their property well before they retired. And we are not talking rich here, my mother didn't work outside the home. They owned an small gas station in a small town. My father worked 7 days a week for most of this time. His biggest reduction in hours came during the gas shortages of the 1970's - no gas to sell, no need to stay open. Every once in a while he hired a high school kid to work a few hours a week, but mostly he was it. My mother kept the books.
Many in my generation and younger simple believe we will always carry a credit card balance from month to month. Car and house notes are a way of life. And I really don't expect to pay off this house before I die let alone retire. I recognize we live in a different time/place/economy but it's more about the difference in our expectation around credit.
So back to the "to do" list. My mom expected everything to get done and it usually did. She didn't expect to carry a balance from day to day except for the bigger projects - those went on a "revolving" list. And I think that's how I use to feel too. List complete - head to pillow. I even use to pay off my first credit account before I charged the next item.
Man O' Man, times have changed. I've changed. Maybe I'm looking back 10, 15, 20 plus years ago with rose colored glasses (or a faulty memory) but I really do believe more things got done. Maybe there are completely valid reasons why my list only continues to grow but I still go to bed every night wishing I had been more productive, wishing I could crumble up and throw away todays list cause it was all checked off.
Guess I can check off "whined to my LJ" for today!
This applies to so many areas of my life. Is this a primary function of 1) slowing down physically as I age, 2) actually having more to do with the same # of hours in a day or 3) laziness?
I swear I remember a time when I DID go to bed with my "to do" list blank. Now I go through complete days without checking off one item on that it. And the list keeps growing.
I wonder if this is more of a modern day problem much like the difference between how credit is used today and how my parents' generation used credit. My parents had no credit cards only one "Revolving Sears" account and one at the local shoe store. They charged only when they did not have the cash and then paid it off before they charged a second time. My parents always paid cash for their cars even the few times they bought a new one. They actually achieved the goal of paying off all their property well before they retired. And we are not talking rich here, my mother didn't work outside the home. They owned an small gas station in a small town. My father worked 7 days a week for most of this time. His biggest reduction in hours came during the gas shortages of the 1970's - no gas to sell, no need to stay open. Every once in a while he hired a high school kid to work a few hours a week, but mostly he was it. My mother kept the books.
Many in my generation and younger simple believe we will always carry a credit card balance from month to month. Car and house notes are a way of life. And I really don't expect to pay off this house before I die let alone retire. I recognize we live in a different time/place/economy but it's more about the difference in our expectation around credit.
So back to the "to do" list. My mom expected everything to get done and it usually did. She didn't expect to carry a balance from day to day except for the bigger projects - those went on a "revolving" list. And I think that's how I use to feel too. List complete - head to pillow. I even use to pay off my first credit account before I charged the next item.
Man O' Man, times have changed. I've changed. Maybe I'm looking back 10, 15, 20 plus years ago with rose colored glasses (or a faulty memory) but I really do believe more things got done. Maybe there are completely valid reasons why my list only continues to grow but I still go to bed every night wishing I had been more productive, wishing I could crumble up and throw away todays list cause it was all checked off.
Guess I can check off "whined to my LJ" for today!
