You ever have those times when you start about a dozen projects and then don’t finish any?  Then they just sit there STARING at you, willing you to finish?  <sigh>  That’s my brain right now.  I have all these ideas and plans floating around in my brain, yet I can’t FOCUS enough on any one of them to actually get started doing SOMETHING.  It’s frustrating, to say the least. Obviously this is where prioritizing, setting a goal, making a plan, creating a time-line, and having follow-through would be effective.  Yet, here I sit…

I recognize that I have the most trouble focusing when I have unstructured time.  For some reason I end up feeling anxious.  I’m forever looking at a calendar, into the future, and missing what’s in front of me.  I don’t know that being able to identify the problem is enough.  It’s clear that there is some procrastination involved.  I want things to be right…  I’m not ready to start.

When I think about what gives me the most pause, it comes to organizing my materials, cleaning and beautifying my house, setting up my classroom, and doing a deep clean/purge.  With that in mind then…

• Spend this week cleaning.  This would include the walls, because if I’m to paint, that will have to happen.
• Talk to Bill about painting.  Maybe I should leave this to an expert?  Maybe I can get Tracy to help?
• After general cleaning is done, get into the closets and garage.  Make the list, take the pictures, and send stuff to Goodwill.  It’s a good thing.
• Sketch out the classroom.  Know that a lot of elements are already in place. Map out the rest.  Relax and remember that things can be MOVED.
• Make time to go to Carol’s to use her Cricut machine.  Remember that she lives near school and is my friend.  I don’t have to do it all during one afternoon.
• Schedule one day each week to just relax.  Remember that this is a vacation of sorts.
• Paint the downstairs bathroom, the living room/dining room, the upstairs hallway, and maybe Keb’s room.  Focus on small, do-able projects first to gain confidence with the painting process.
• Ask for help when needed!
• Look for and buy curriculum for cooking/mad science.  Figure out and create a solar oven and slow-rising breads.
• Be OK with ripping apart my Mailbox and Teacher’s Helper Magazines to create files of skills.  If I wait to photocopy, I’ll have piles EVERYWHERE.
• Don’t change everything at once, take baby steps.

Well, I feel better having thought it through. Now let’s see what comes of it.