This past summer, while sentenced to my hospital bed, I actually had time to read a couple magazines.  I’m way behind on my “real-life” stack of Family Fun, Everyday with Rachel Ray, MOPS Connections and Better Homes & Gardens.  I once vowed to never subscribe to another magazine again because I never seem to find time to read them.  But somehow, when I see the yearly subscription for $3-5, I just can’t resist.  I mean, think of all the great ideas I can get from them!  [Ignore husband’s rolling eyes.]

Anyway, I was breezing through the April 2011 issue of Martha Stewart’s Real Simple  magazine and found the most brilliant of brilliant ideas.  The Editor at Large, Danielle Claro and her friend planned an Un-Procrastination Day.  This is how it was described:  “Gather your most neglected tasks and a no-nonsense companion and head off on an odyssey of productivity, vowing not to return home until your long ignored to-do’s are done.”  

With great inspiration, I shortly thereafter called my husband’s cousin, Maria, to see if she wanted to plan an Un-Procrastination Day.  Maria is definitely a no-nonsense person, but also lots of fun to be and laugh with.  I knew she would be one to make the day of long put-off tasks enjoyable!  Because of our busy schedules, we chose a day months in advance (you’d think we were crazy popular and living glamorous lives, but alas, it is just everyday life stuff).

As the day approached, I worked on my list of errands.  I pulled out all my Master Lists and scoured for things I had been putting off.  I called Maria the day before to talk through where we had to go and put together our plan of attack.  And what did I find?  Maria had PROCRASTINATED on Un-Procrastination Day.  She hadn’t an idea of where she needed to go or the things she needed to buy.  But she pulled out a last-minute win by staying up to 3am to prep her photography tasks and her list.

8:15am Maria texted me to say that she was dropping off her kids and would meet me at Walmart.

8:35am Before Maria arrived at Walmart, I grabbed a couple grocery items I needed to make another yummy batch of my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins and a Winter Coat/Snow Pants set for Sweet Boy.  Then I met Maria in the photo department.  I had a locket to fill with pictures of my kids (never a super easy task to get pictures to the right size) and I also had to update Sweet Girl’s “Mom+Dad=Me” Picture Frame.  These kind of photo jobs are the things I often procrastinate on but am so glad when I have them completed and beautiful.  Maria had multiple lockets to fill.

Sharon, the Walmart Photo Department employee was super helpful in resizing our pictures.  She also thought we were having way to much fun for this early in the morning.  She was right!  While Maria was working on resizing her photos, I was cutting and fitting my pictures into the frames.  Task One – Completed!

9:05am Our second stop was a five-minute run into Staples.  I had three ink cartridges to recycle.  Maria had seven!  Did you know that you receive $2 in Staples Rewards per cartridge you recycle?  Great deal!  (The previous weekend I got $10 for one HP cartridge!  Watch the ads for their specials.)

I had intended to be making copies of our signed and witnessed POA and Living Will updates.  But because I hadn’t gotten the witnesses, it didn’t happen.  Strike One!

About 9:45am, we arrived at Joann’s.  I needed to buy buttons and dye for a craft project found on Pinterest.   Did you know that you can dye buttons?  I also picked up some future birthday party favors, along with fun Thanksgiving dress-up headbands for the kids.  Maria needed gifts and prizes/trinkets for her kids’ treasure box.

11:00am Our next stop was to the Christian Bookstore.  I didn’t have anything I needed here, but did end up buying a kids’ devotional book and a DVD from their $5 table.  Maria needed more gifts.  I was all excited because we used my new iphone (which I am still learning to use!) to search for a coupon for the store.  Using Retail Me Not, Maria got 25% off her non-sale items.  The store clerk just typed in the coupon code found on the “printable coupon” pictured on my phone.  Woo-hoo for productivity and savings!

11:45am By the time we were done, lunch was on our minds, so we headed to the mall’s Food Court to grab some lunch and girl talk.  I went for the Stromboli (usually only a fair treat for me) and Maria ordered a  Chicken Sub with awful cheesy fries… really, they looked good in the picture, but tasted terrible!  After lunch, Maria’s time was wrapping up and she had to go pick up her kids.  So I took her back to her car at Walmart and we parted ways.  But my day wasn’t quite done.

12:45pm I headed to Home Depot to pick up all the supplies I will need to strip my piano.  We were blessed to have a piano given to us a few years ago.  Dan and I had been talking about wanting a piano and sure enough the Lord provided one for us at no cost.  We mentioned to a friend, a piano teacher, that if she heard of anyone selling a piano to let us know.  She shared that someone from her church had just mentioned to her about giving one away.  It is a great piano, but it does happen to be stained green.  So I am going to strip it and stain it brown…or so I think I am.  I was glad Maria wasn’t there for this part because it would have been pretty boring for anyone else.  Questions, searching for products, reading instructions, phone calls to Dan to be sure I had everything needed.  But I walked out with all my supplies and now need an Un-Procrastination Day at home to get started on it.

2:00pm My last stop was somewhat daunting of a task.  I had accumulated over 5000 emails in my inbox.  Yep, 5,000!!  So my final stop was to the public library to delete/file emails.  Why to the library, you may ask?  Because I was guaranteed to have no interruptions as I would most definitely have had at home.  It took me 45 minutes to delete 1003 emails.  And a week later, I still have under 4000 emails, no more.  I’m curious – how many are in your inbox?

At 2:50pm, I pulled into my drive feeling very accomplished.  I walked in the door eager to share stories of my success but only found the three other members of my household asleep.  Oh well, quiet satisfaction would prevail.  I had done 90% of what I set out to do and had a lot of fun doing it.  In fact, Maria and I have planned another Un-Procrastination Day for the Spring.  It seems this may be an every six month outing and Maria promises not to procrastinate on her list next time.  🙂

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