daily prompt

Things

Amy

Something on your “to-do list” that never gets done.

Let me start out by saying I have two to-do lists. The first one pertains to work, and that’s written on a sticky note. Everything on that one gets done for that day.

My second to-do list is a general household list, and vacuuming is the item that gets scratched off and added to the next day’s list, usually every day. Yesterday, I finally was able to scratch that off, though.

I keep a to-do list because it feels like an accomplishment to be able to cross off items. Many days I cannot do any of the things on my list, so when I am able to complete one (or all), I feel an extra boost of accomplishment by crossing them off.

One of the items on my list today is to get out in that late winter sunshine. Happy Saturday.

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Published by Amy

I love words. And animals. Photography and fedoras. Welcome. And stay awhile.

47 thoughts on “Things”

  1. Speaking of that “late winter sunshine” I’ve been noticing, I’ll be at gradually, that the sun is staying out a little bit later every day, and it is coming up a little little bit earlier every every morning!

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    1. It is! And it’s getting brighter. Taking on that spring crisp brightness. It’s moved to a different place in the sky. And it will slowly keep moving. Several of my spring flowers are already poked out of the ground. It’s too soon for that, so I’ve covered them back up with leaves, but spring is indeed coming!

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      1. Right?! Here in Michigan, it will probably hit 50 again soon, only the snow again. Only for it to melt again and then come back one last time right before the Tigers start baseball season in late March.

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      2. Where I live, I think the snow is done. And we don’t get much here. Which is just fine with me. Speaking of 50, it’s going to be that here today. With sunshine, finally haven’t seen the sun in weeks!

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  2. I sat out on the back steps this morning for about 10 minutes just enjoying the quiet, the sun and the chill morning air. I love mornings like this. Fall and winter are my favorite times of year. Where the cold makes others feel depressed and drained, I draw energy from it and normally feel awesome.

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    1. It’s nice that you could just enjoy the morning. I know a lot of people who really like fall and winter. I feel best when I can see in late winter, the buds of daffodils and hyacinth coming up. That means spring is coming soon, and everything will be alive again. And in the lushness of summer, I feel most like myself.

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      1. Spring is a real bear for me because of sinus issues, which is why I think I gravitate more towards fall and winter. I also prefer nighttime to the daytime, so I’m pretty much half-assed backwards from the rest of humanity lol

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      2. lol, I have year-round allergies, and sinus issues. And I’m allergic to cats. 😁 Plus, migraines do not like any change of seasons. Or storms. Or if you look at them the wrong way lol. If left to my own devices, my body clock is set to stay up late and wake up late. I think it’s common among creative people.

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      3. Same. If it’s up to me, I’m not in bed until 2 or 3 in the morning. The pisser is I am usually up at 8 or so. Need to work on that lol
        Allergic to cats? How do you survive? Just deal with it or take something for allergies?

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      4. I can easily sleep till 11. And then my day is gone. That’s the part that bothers me. I can’t get anything done.
        Yeah… Some cats. Not all. Allergy medicine makes me feel weird so I do the nose spray stuff.

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      5. Since tomorrow is Sunday, I am having the notion to not set an alarm and see what time I actually wake up. Last time that happened it was around 10AM, but yeah, I felt kind of lost the rest of the day lol
        I hear you on the allergy meds. Some are no bueno.

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      6. I’m better if I set the alarm and set on my work schedule for being awake and asleep. It’s when I get out of the routine that everything is messed up. Like now lol and good luck with tomorrow. If you get up at 10 AM, that’s probably your normal circadian rhythm for you.
        Allergy meds don’t agree with me. Really none of them. So I just drink a lot of water and sneeze. 😂

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      7. Yeah, I think that’s why I’ve always done well on 2nd shift hours. I like to get up later and stay up later lol
        That said, I have gotten slightly used to being up earlier after a year of 1st shift life.
        Routine – yeah I’m a bit behind schedule too. 😄

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      8. I’ve never been able to work a second shift, but I would probably agree with you that it would work better, for me as well Lol.
        But as a writer, I create best when it’s late. 🙂

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      9. A lot of people say it’s right in the middle of the day, can’t get stuff done, etc., and I get that to a degree. That said, I used to have plenty of time for appointments and stuff in the mornings.
        For some it’s a good fit, for others, an acquired taste lol

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      15. That was the worst part for me. I was working 12-16 hours per day and 4-5 on Saturdays and Sundays. If I had been hourly it would have been great lol
        My old company is on the no OT unless absolutely necessary plan atm. Budget crunch 😄

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      16. It’s not as if the companies don’t know what they’re doing, either. They know they’ve got their salaried employees by the…ears, and they can take advantage of that very easily. I would not want to be salaried. The only salaried position I’d want is running my own business. I think a lot of companies are on the no OT unless absolutely necessary plan at the moment. And one person does the work of five, because staff are getting let go. Of course, it depends on the sector, but the one that I work in is in budget crunch and cut mode.

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      17. Same with the business I come from. They are bleeding and money and can’t figure out how to stop it. 8 people have resigned or been terminated in the last 7 months and they drag their feet to replace any of them. Some left in July and still have not been replaced. They dole the work off on someone else and hope for the best. A situation like that was what had a hand in my ultimate demise.

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      18. I’m sorry that happened to you. I worry about the same fate. Nothing is guaranteed and people are nervous. Much of the same things you just mentioned are happening in my industry. I think the trend is to not replace people and to load up the people who are left with even more work. and then these people get burned out.

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      19. It’s the corporate model 101. The longer you stay, the more they;ll chew you up and spit you out. Before I joined the salaried ranks, I wondered why these guys and gals left good gigs after 3-5 years. Now I get it. When they started getting hammered, they’d look a round, get more jing, and work elsewhere until that place started doing the same, then they move on again. It’s the only way they maintain a modicum of sanity.
        I made a mistake, but they saw an opportunity to save $15 -20k and I am 100% convinced they took it.

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      20. You’re absolutely right.
        The sad part is, I don’t work in the corporate world. Well, I say it’s not corporate, because it’s not labeled corporate, but the rules are evolving into the same model of business. Many people who have been employed for many years are losing their jobs because they make too much money. The workload gets placed on others who don’t make as much. And those people end up burning out and leaving. It’s a vicious circle.

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      21. The sad truth is it’s been going on for a long time and has only gotten worse in the last 4 years since the big C.
        The bigger, more costly problem, which no one cares about yet, but will one day, I assure you, is that they are creating toxic work environments all over the place, which only makes the job twice as unpleasant, the turnover rate higher, and less successful businesses.
        Corporate, private equity, or privately owned,it almost doesn’t matter. they’re all the same. Just the degree might be different.

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      23. They are already there at my former place. And getting worse by the day according to my multiple contacts. Daily public humiliations, literal screaming matches in the staff meeting. Good times.
        I feel a strange sense of satisfaction every time I hear that. Just shows the problem was way bigger than little old me lol

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      24. Yikes. We got reports of people leaving or being let go. But the stuff going on at your place sounds really bad. I would be so grateful to be out of there! I’m sure you must be feeling that as well.

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      25. They did me a huge favor if that’s what it turned into. And my sources are several, very consistent in their stories, and reliable. lol
        One is my very best friend and she’s leaving next week for a different role outside that facility. She applied the day I was terminated, because that was the writing on the wall for her.

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      26. Sometimes we can’t see it at the time, but it is blessing in disguise.
        I can’t blame your best friend for leaving when she saw what happened to you. When you see it happening, you know you could be next. You have to be proactive, so good on her for that.

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      27. I told her go for it. She is way too smart and talented to work with that bunch of yokels. Now she has a WFH gig and a 20k pay increase. Something good has already come from me leaving there lol
        I’m thrilled for her and grateful I am out of that viper pit too.

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  7. It’s wonderful to hear how you manage your to-do lists and the satisfaction you get from crossing items off. It seems like a very effective way to keep track of your daily and household tasks, and I can imagine the sense of accomplishment that comes with it, especially on days when you manage to complete tasks that have been lingering for a while, like vacuuming.

    Your approach to separating work tasks from household tasks is a great strategy for maintaining balance and ensuring that both areas of your life receive attention. It’s also lovely that you include activities like getting out in the late winter sunshine on your list. It’s a reminder of the importance of taking time for oneself and enjoying the simple pleasures in life.

    Do you find that having “enjoyable” tasks like soaking up some sunshine on your to-do list helps motivate you to get through the more mundane or repetitive tasks?

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