I went to the laundromat this week … with three weeks’ worth of dirty laundry. It honestly wasn’t preventable, we had to pull out at the last minute, and our crazy travel schedule to beat it out of bad weather made the past three weeks downright busy.
I ran out of my favorite socks a week ago, and I was precariously close to the bottom of the drawers on everything else. I dreaded having to do what it would take to get the laundry caught up, but none-the-less, I was going to be Weary by Wednesday, if I didn’t get on it.
I loaded up our two large laundry bags, stripped the bed, gathered the towels from the bathroom and the kitchen, and loaded them in the truck. After Googling the closest Laundromat, I was ready to catch up this problem.
I was choosing just the right size washers and working around others in the tight space, when I started thinking about some of the other things I needed to catch up. The nice thing about laundromats is there is an order to the madness and if followed through the outcome is a job completed within a couple of hours. It doesn’t always work that way for some of my other out of control tasks and projects.
As I worked through my laundry mess, several things became clear to me. Most of the things I need to catch up on would go smoother if I used some Laundromat thinking.
- Separate each item according to its care instruction. I have cut down on the amount of sorting my laundry needs over the past several years because we pretty much live in jeans and t-shirts, but the sheets and blankets need to go in a different machine or everything gets tangled and nothing gets clean. My take away for the other projects I need to catch up on is to take a little time to sort, separate, and prioritize the way I will work through each task. Some tasks could be grouped, but some will go smoother if I give them some individual attention.
- Use the tools of the trade. I carried the heavy bags of dirty laundry in from my truck. It wouldn’t have taken that much longer to go inside and bring out a cart to move them around, and I would have saved some back pain. The carts, folding tables, and different size washers and dryers, make the laundry task a bit easier. My take away for my other projects is to spend a little time assessing what tools I might need to make the job go smoother. Maybe I need to learn a new program or app that could help me with my productivity? I might plan some time for reading some current blogs about writing and publishing tips. It would also be helpful to set aside specific time for my tasks that need to be caught up.
- Do the whole job. I kept hearing a lady nearby tell others how she was taking her clean laundry home to toss on her bed and then fold. I guess that could work, but the dog and the cat would get into it, my husband would be needing help with something, and before I knew it, all my hard work would end up on the couch or floor (dog and cat problems). Instead, I folded everything, even paired the socks, before I loaded it all back into laundry bags to take home. My take away for my other projects is to do the whole job. I need to have a start and an end planned. I need to stick to my plan to finish each project. I also need to avoid distractions, just because a job is close to caught up doesn’t mean I should check social media or procrastinate I just need to finish it up!
Paul reminded Timothy to watch his life and doctrine closely, and to persevere in them. This is as important today as it was when Paul wrote this. When I let things in my life get out of control, I’m setting myself and potentially others up for failure. It’s time for me to get caught up. How about you?
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1 Timothy 4:16 New International Version (NIV)
What are some of the things you need to catch up on? I’d love to hear from you and pray for you in your tasks.
Thanks for sharing your Wednesday with me.
Jennifer Baringer 