Chore Lists?

[Kay/NC]

Sat down last night, while Mike was watching football, and made my chore list for today.  I actually list the things I need to do in a day, in order.  If one is missed, it gets and arrow to its proper place. 

I don't do this every day, but I do when I really need to get a bunch of things done for sure.  Putting things in order of importance makes sure that the most crucial ones get done first. If I run out of time, the stuff that runs over into tomorrow or later is at the bottom. 

Some things I am doing now require Mike's help, lifting heavy things or reaching things up too high for me, even on my stepladder.  I try to give him fair warning at breakfast time, and get an outline of his day, so I know when it will be best to call him for help. 

Then, I call about thirty minutes before I get to that item, to ask him if he is free to help me in a few minutes.  He is usually no more than a half-hour to a point between things he's doing for the day, so that works for us. 

We all joke about our organizational failures, but they mostly boil down to time management, don't they?  If I want to have a really productive day (as opposed to a piddling one),I need to make a worklist, usually best done the night before. 

Do you make up chore lists for yourself?  If not, how do you keep track?

Maybe it's a memory issue, but it's a necessity here. 

[wt510151]

Every day I work off-farm, there is a list of chores to be done when my job is finished. This is minimal, since ending times vary depending on weather, volume, and so forth. On my off days, I try to get all of my "procrastinated" items accomplished. Also I will schedule special trips during these off days, when possible. Included are big errand days. It's not the most effective, but my schedule is far from set (at least by me).

[Kay/NC]

Most days, I do at least have some autonomy regarding how I spend my time. I don't know how you with off- farm work manage to get anything done at home. My list got sort pf turned upside- down today. aughter and SIL were up at the store, and soI grabbed a bagel and wheeled up there to see what was up. Roughly five hours later,I packed it int, had to help Mike ferry several golf cart loads of water buckets from the garden to the place where he had let hot ashes set a grass fire. Just as we had finally satisfied ourselves that we had extinguished the embers, the kids and GS were here to cook a cooperative supper. So, the top part of my list got addressed, but not until about eight p.m. Had to get it all done, since GS will be here early, so,nis mom can do her work on the farm, and son will be here to continue on the kitchen. I got the essentials done today, a lot more than zi expected to do besides, and had fun with the family...so, taking a detour from the to- dos was worth it!

[merryyon]

I'm a list maker on occassion.

[turkey feather]

I make lists when I have several things to do in a certain time frame and I make grocery list always. Lists are very helpful when planning a holiday dinner and cleaning the house for company and also when planning a trip. I do make lists when I really need to remember to do several things too. I have attended several seminars pertaining to  working efficiently and lists are recommended. Numbering the items is important too using 1 as the most important. Marking a job completed off the list is helpful but also satisfying to see it is done.

[Kay/NC]

Last week, I had one of those frustrating times when I couldn't read my handwriting on the list.  There were three items grouped separately from the rest.  Everything else was legible, but I had written these late at night.  Evidently, they looked a lot better without my glasses on than they did with correction.

Everything else was clearly materials for the remodel...specific plumbing fittings, paint notes, etc.  These items had no numbers in them to guide my memory, except one had a 3 in it.  I kept trying to figure them out, and then the 3 finally reminded me that I needed to hang three cleaning tools at the store.  Once my brain shifted to that project, it was simple to figure out the other two things I added after working up there fo a couple of days. 

I have had people tell me that I am relaly organized;but, I fee;l I am better at designing systems than in operating them over time.  Once the challenge of getting the system fine-tuned is complete, I tend to lose interest. 

Numbering items in order of importance is logical.  If something just has to be done that day, I put a star next to it, too. 

Lists are one way I can discipline myself to stay on task in a settled system.  That reward of marking through an item is at least a small incentive. 

Over the years, Mike has moved to making a written list, too.  He will still occasionally say to me "Remind me to ....".;but. I think he has gotten so he expects me to tell him to write it down.  I can always use the reasoning that I am older than he is ( 3 months, 4 days), and thus my memory is supposed to be worse. 

[linda/IL]

List maker when I have a lot to do for holidays.  Usually just the action of writing it out will help me remember.  Groceries I tend to forget the list at home.  DH makes lists too but forgets his glasses (he insists he doesn't need them, only to read) so not everything gets done.  LOL

[Nebrfarmr]

I am at the age where I need to start making lists.  When I was younger, I only had to make occasional 'shopping' lists, and even then, seemed to remember most everything on it.  Gradually, it evolved to needing a list for parts, or shopping, and lately it has gotten worse.  There has been a time or two when I had this nagging feeling I was forgetting something, only to realize when I was getting ready for bed, that I left the light on in the shop, or that the cows were wandering in the yard, because I forgot to finish walking the fence.  I now have a magnetic dry-erase board on the refrigerator for those quick 'just thought of it' tasks.  I didn't have one last year, and had to dig a post in the calf fence through about 6 inches of frozen ground, because I forgot about it, until we shut the calves.

[dairy mom]

OMG there are days when I need a list with stuff like "go to the bathroom" on it or I might just forget.

No really, I do pretty good with the farm stuff, but the house stuff.  I if I don't plan my day in the house I can find myself wandering around not accomplishing anything, just a little here a little there and at the end of the day it's "just what did I get done in here?"

Of course they don't notice things like the trash out, they only notice if the trash can if full.  But will they take it out.  NOOO  just cram it a little fuller is good enough for them.  Or they don't notice that the kitchen towel drawer (that they use like some people use paper towels) always has towels in it.   Or that there always is a clean coffee cup when they want it (even though my DH might use 7 or 8 different mugs on any given day.  That's a sore spot because when I get low on mugs I have to scour the farm for where he's left them.  The truck, farm office, any tractor, his shop work bench, the straw mow, a post in the sick cow pen, just about any where he's been all day long.  He almost never walks out of the house without a mug in his hand and they don't always make it back in.

[Nebrfarmr]

In defense of men everywhere, the reason God gave us more upper body strength is so we COULD cram that one more thing into the trash can.

I will never forget my 'first' argument with my newly married wife. 
She said something like 'The trash can is getting full'.
I said something like 'Yes it is.'

Fast forward an hour or two.

"Why didn't you empty the trash, like I asked you to?"
'You never asked. you just said it was getting full.'

"What do you think, I was just making an observation?'

'Well, when you don't specify, how am I supposed to know?'

While I didn't have to sleep on the sofa, I DID have to go out into the cold, dark night, defenseless against countless wild creatures, up to the dumpster we have by the shop (about 50-60 yards) before I got to eat supper.