I found that making a master "to-do" list at the beginning of a week results in a more productive week because I prioritize tasks for each day. This method works well for me and helps me act, persist, and finish those jobs. Goals and/or tasks, written down, tend to get accomplished, whereas thoughts alone may drift away and remain unacted on.
Project lists may vary between individuals due to varied interests and objectives. A high-ranked task for me may not appear on another person's list.
Examples of my list toppers for family members:
Donate at least half of an abundance of shirts stored in the closet, of which 10% are frequently worn and the rest "hang on."
Decrease the number of containers filled with duplicate household items and stacks that reach toward the ceiling and await a new home elsewhere.
Remove a 1960's era car that sits idle and wastes away in the garage, while new cars live outside, exposed to hail, rain, and heat.
Reduce the abundance of hobby items jammed into the garage, acquired over numerous years and abandoned as new interests emerge.
Recycle or shred stacks of dated documents from years ago that no longer serve a useful purpose and continue to spread over the desktop, or shift from one side to the other, and grow higher daily.
Replace the decrepit garage door well past its prime.
Sell or donate Vietnam-era stereo equipment which resides in the recesses of the closet or garage, not turned on nor touched for decades.
Have you tried or experienced the following, without results?
Repeatedly requested that family members: remove unused articles from the garage; reduce unworn articles of clothing that clog the closet; and decrease the clutter from flat surfaces (desktop, kitchen table, countertops, and floor, etc.).
Constantly thought about projects placed on the "back burner" and ignored.
Continually organized and sorted scattered items and multiples of the same type of products and tools into like groups, and cut down the many empty containers in the garage, only to have them increase again?
Ideas that may help family members jumpstart projects or smaller tasks--high on my list, low or non-existent on theirs.
"Plant a seed."
Suggest they take pictures of unused stereo equipment and advertise the components on E-Bay or Craig's List; find someone interested in restoration or donate the stereo pieces.
Perform Internet research for desired services then offer those options to family members for further action.
Ask how you might help your family member move forward on their project.
Mutually agree on a date to start and finish the task or project.
Gather articles needed for project implementation and completion; label containers for trash, recycling, and donation. Silence phones, computers, and other electronics to lessen interruptions.
Engage your patience, encouragement, compassion, and empathy.
Encourage family members to reduce their abundance of possessions...now…so that their loved ones are not left with that responsibility in the event of a medical problem/emergency or catastrophe which prevents them from taking care of it themselves.
Please share ideas or tips that have worked for you to engage your family members in starting, working on, and completing tasks/larger projects.
