Stop It!

A friend recently posted on FB that she thinks she is a little over booked in her life. Oh, how I can relate to that. I wrote a blog post 7 years ago about a "to stop doing list". As I read that old list, I realized that I have the power to change my mind about what I'm going to do and what I'm not going to do. Seven years ago, I wrote I hated gardening. That's something that may change. Since then, I have spent more time looking at the dirt in my back yard and dreaming about days to come when I may have time to put my hands in it and grow something. Or not. It's a fleeting thought.

 

Every year around this time, I hear friends and co-workers chatting about decorating for Christmas and all the shopping they've got to get done, blah blah blah. I don't have one piece of Christmas decoration at my house, not even a candy cane. Don't get me wrong. I love seeing other people's decorations. I love to take one evening to drive around the famous neighborhoods to look at lights and sip hot cocoa while holiday music plays in the background. I just don't care about decorating my own space. And, I gave up Christmas shopping a very long time ago. Cash is king, don't ya know? You couldn't pay me enough to go to the mall this time of year.

 

Anyhoo, it got me to thinking about my stop doing list and so here is my 2017 version.

 

To Stop Doing List

 

Holiday baking. Zero. Nothing. Not even fudge. In the past, this has been easier said than done. I do love baking cookies and sweets in December but my new eating plan for life does not have a place for this. Instead of the one day I go on a baking binge, I think I'll put the hubby in the car and drive to Walla Walla for a cup of coffee at my favorite café.

 

Saying yes. This is something that is a constant struggle. I get overbooked and then exhausted. My cure for this is to sleep on a calendar decision. I don't make excuses. No is a complete sentence, no explanation necessary. See 'feeling guilty' below.

 

Hanging onto junk. Another constant struggle. I'm still in the process of getting rid of stuff I don't want or use. I recently placed a box near my dryer for depositing clothes that no longer fit or that I don't wear so I can launder and take to thrift store.

 

Using plastic bags at store. I've learned from my Portland peeps that just because the store clerk has a bad habit of placing a single item in a plastic bag doesn't mean I have to accept it. NO MORE PLASTIC BAGS!

 

Reading books or watching shows I don't like. I have this terrible habit of continuing to read a book or watch a movie even if I'm not into it. It's a commitment thing. I tend to be a rigid, 100% in-or-out kinda girl. Such a waste of a good life.

 

Feeling guilty for saying no. Gotta stop that. See 'saying yes' above.

 

Ignoring the signs of burnout. I learned last year that I have a huge red flag at work when I am experiencing burnout. I start scowling and using the word fuck a lot. I start thinking everyone is stupid and have zero tolerance. I'm going to stop ignoring the signs and be proactive about self care. Luckily, no one has been injured by my burnouts ... yet.

 

That's enough stop doing to last me all of 2018.  How about you? What are you doing that you wish you weren't? Can you stop doing it? What would be on your stop doing list?  Tell me!

 

love, susan