My To Do List and Newton’s First Law of Motion

I had a small list of things I wanted to accomplish today, but I almost didn’t start my list because of ONE task: back to school shoe shopping with my kiddo. I don’t enjoy shoe shopping. I never have. Taking a teenager to buy shoes makes ME feel angsty and whiney. Mind you, my son is the fastest shoe shopper that ever was. His only requirements were: black leather-like gym shoes that fit. He wears a US size 13 shoe (EUR Size 47) so finding shoes that are big enough can be a little tricky. Even so, we were in and out of the store in under 20 minutes, including the time spent paying at the register.

As you may have guessed, even though the task kept growing and worsening in my mind, it wasn’t a big deal. Kiddo wanted the first pair of shoes in his size that fit his criteria. He tried them on. They fit. He said, “Okay, I’m done. Thank you. Let’s go.” Plus, they were on sale, AND I had a coupon for $10 off. (Yes, we’re Kohl’s shoppers. LOL) So why was shoe shopping excursion more difficult in my mind than in reality?

I think it goes back to inertia and the laws of motion:

A body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it… 

~Newton’s First Law of Motion

I’m certain Sir Isaac Newton didn’t have me in mind when he wrote this, but it has just as much relevance on my schedule as it does for NASA. Sometimes we need an outside force to get us moving. This could be another person who’s counting on us, fellow bloggers, co-workers…something or someone just needs to give us a little push, just to get us moving. After that, we’re okay.

This morning, I set my alarm and accomplished Day 3: Purse, on the challenge I started on Monday. It wasn’t much, but in this case, the outside force was the magazine challenge. I keep my purse fairly organized so I knew this task would be easy. That push—that sense of accomplishment first thing in my day—was enough to keep me going. Once the smallest task was completed, the rest of the day seemed more manageable.

• It’s not cheating to do the easiest task first.
• It’s not cheating to break up tasks into manageable chunks.
• It’s not cheating to take baby steps.

Keep your lists small, manageable, and goal-oriented and don’t feel ashamed if you need outside help to set yourself in motion.

xo Juli