One of the lessons I've learned over the years in my work life (and one I get to periodically relearn) is that it's far better to promise less and deliver more than to promise more and deliver less. Missing the mark is a quick way to lose the confidence of others, whereas exceeding expectations is a nice way to lift your standing and enhance trust.
But where I've been slower on the uptake than your average bear to catch on is that this wisdom is not just for the work world or for your general relations with others: it also applies to the promises you make to yourself. However, I think I'm finally getting it.
And so it is that instead of creating a foot-long list of all the projects and tasks I'd like to do this summer -- an ambitious and well-intentioned but entirely unrealistic list -- I'm just going to set two (count 'em, two) de-cluttering goals:
1. Keep the weeds from growing back in the small garden area I cleared this past weekend
2. Get my home office under control
Sure, I'd also like to paint the bathroom, paint the kitchen, stain the deck, clean out the attic, sort all my clothes, sort through all my kids' toys, catch up ten years worth of photos, weed the rest of the garden areas, set up a bird bath, etc. etc. And maybe I'll manage one or two of those, too.
But the only ones I'm now promising myself are the two above. Weekly (or thereabouts) updates to come as the summer rolls on.
In the meantime, how about you? Care to lose your ambition and downsize your goals? If you'd like, post one or two (but NO MORE THAN TWO) summer clutter-clearing goals in the comments.
I've got a ways to go to summer ;) but over the winter school holidays in July, I am hoping to clean up my office, which is currently buried in the mess of two university courses that conclude next week...too shocking to take pictures, even. I am considering buying some cheap IKEA cabinets to hang on the walls and hide the supplies!!
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