Why I have no traction on my to do list

I have a running "to do" list. Well, I actually have many to do lists, but I am thinking of one in particular now. On this list are things like "steam clean carpets" and "stain decks" and "wax wood furniture" and "sweep porch." It is the list of those bigger, nastier projects that are only tackled a few times a year. (Who am I kidding? These are done once every two years.)

I never actually do any of the things on the list. I just end up re-writing the list to make me feel better. Currently, it is on really nice stationery and written in my very best handwriting with a pretty-colored ink. But still, nothing has been crossed off.

Instead of being productive, I find myself re-arranging my mantle, ordering Coralie a new dress because she really needs one, obsessively checking our grass to see if any dead spots have been resurrected, and reading every blog on my blogroll. Twice. So by the time I am done with all of those important tasks, there is very little daylight left to sweep the porch or get the cobwebs away from our front door. And since I can't be productive and cross stuff off of the outdoor portion of my to do list, then I certainly can't do anything inside, either. The list would be unbalanced! And so the list sits for another day, lonely and neglected.

But Coralie will have a new dress AND I know all about my blogging friends. So. Good use of my day, I think.