Gold Stars & To Do Lists

In an attempt to accomplish all of my accumulating “Somedays” as well as the regular day-to-day stuff that needs to be done (cleaning, bookkeeping, errands, cooking, etc.) I’ve been searching for little ways to improve my productivity and keep myself on track.  I’ve come up with two that seem to be working:  gold stars and a To-Do list.

Remember gold stars from grade school?  When you’d accomplished a task or exhibited a good behavior you got to put a gold star on the chart.  I specifically remember the reading chart.  Students names were listed down the left-hand side of a large paper and numbers were written across the top.  Each time a student finished a book and filled out a little form about the book, she got to place a gold star next to her name.  Some people didn’t read at all and had few gold stars.  I read voraciously and had stars across the page.  I loved the gold star system.  So, I made up my own little chart with a few of the daily activities I want to be doing:  writing, drumming, stretching, meditating, etc.  Every time I accomplish one of these activities, I get a gold star.  It sounds juvenile, but that’s okay.  I don’t mind acting like a kid now and then.

In addition to these daily activities, there’s also all the other stuff that must be done – bring in the To-Do list.  The list I found has two columns:  To Do Now and To Do Later.  I’m using the To Do Now list for the little things needing to be done around the house, like pay the bills, hang the mirror, finish the laundry, clean the whole frigging house (okay, some of the items aren’t “little”).  The To Do Later list has items that I want to remember to do at some point in time:  call a window cleaner, file papers, organize garage.

I’m getting gold stars on several lines, but not so many on some others.  I’m also checking off To-Do list items right and left (literally right and left, from both the “now” and “later” sides of the paper).  The problem is, I’m not really prioritizing what I’m doing.  There are some things that are not negotiable.  For instance, my daily walk/run has to happen or my four dogs become unruly, bills must be paid or my credit will suffer, grocery shopping must occur or we don’t eat.  However, other activities too easily get left to drift out of my awareness, if not off the list.

So, there you have it:  I love my gold stars, I’m crashing through my To-Do list, but I still need to prioritize!

Pat Your Head and Rub Your Belly

Remember the childhood game of trying to pat your head with one hand while the other hand rubs your belly?  Pat, rub, pat, rub.  It’s hard!  Our brains don’t want our hands doing two different motions at the same time.  Now, add in both feet tapping at different beats.  It’s enough to put your brain into total flubbed mode.  Well, that’s how I feel playing the drums.  I might as well sit there patting my head and rubbing my belly.  It’s so hard!  The good news is, concentrating on patting your head and rubbing your belly is actually a good brain exercise to increase communication between the hemispheres of the brain.  And, guess what!  Drumming works our brains in the same way – accessing both sides at the same time.  So, while I feel like a fool trying to coordinate my hand and foot movements, I’m actually giving my brain a good workout and, perhaps, someday my brain will be strong enough to coordinate the movements into something rhythmically pleasing and y’all can start calling me Ringo.

My grandson playing our toy drums.  His enthusiasm inspires me.

Naiveté Redux

Every true genius is bound to be naïve.  –Friedrich Schiller

My drumming education has begun!  The weekend I played at Ladies Rock Camp eight years ago, our drumming education was simply learning a couple of beats which could then be added to a song.  I’m not critical of the experience at all; there simply wasn’t time for more than very basic instruction.  I expected my drum education now to be similar – learn various beats and how to add them to the other music.  Wrong!

My first lesson was on how to set-up my drums to fit my body.  My husband had set them up for me when we moved last summer, but there were definitely adjustments to be made and I’m still not sure I have everything entirely right.  I’ll work on additional adjustments as I begin to play.  Then there was a lesson on how to tune the drums and how to hold the drumsticks.  Another lesson focused on reading musical notes for drums – what!!!???  I didn’t even know there was written music for drums!

I’m feeling a little overwhelmed – much like last month when I realized how naïve I was about what it takes to start a garden.  I’m going with Schiller’s quote, though, and believing it is okay to be a bit naïve.  I may not become a genius gardener or drummer, but I’m taking action and I’m learning.

I’m still learning.  –Michaelangelo at age 87