Julie Barrett is a freelance writer and photographer based in Plano, TX.

Making A List

Fresh when it gets here from Julie Barrett
Sunday, November 30, 2008


But not for the seasonal reasons.

I've had my week off, for what it was worth, and now am ready to get down to work. I didn't do some of the things I wanted to do during the time off, but I'm not upset. One of the things (update the site) was actually work. I got a little of it out of the way, but not much. Didn't do a thing on the stalled novels, other than think. What did I do? I watched television. I cooked. I saw relatives. In essence, I recharged my batteries. That's what one is supposed to do on a break, right?

Oh, yes. I did get one other interesting thing accomplished, but that's for another entry because I have to do one last bit on the "thing." Got your interest piqued? Well, I'll blog about it anyway. ;-)

Now I look at the things I really want to do, should do, and need to do, and realize that I ought to make a list so I don't get off track.

I have what I like to refer to as "situational ADD." It's part of the nature of freelancing. Work slows down, as it does on a seasonal basis, and I use the extra time to tackle projects. But oh, there are so many shiny things to do. And, of course, if work pops up, then I drop the back burner projects and go for the paycheck. Some time later, I have an "oh, yeah!" moment when I realize that I left half of a section of the web site undone or started a story and completely forgot about it. Okay, the latter hardly ever happens. When I start a story, it nags at me until I finish. Unless it's a rotten story to begin with.

I'll have new things to do after the first of the year, but in the meantime, here are the things I need to accomplish:
  • The Catmas card. Well, duh.
  • The year-end books. Taxes must be calculated and paid. Reports must be filed. I prefer to do everything legal, which means income taxes, applicable sales taxes and all else that entails. It's boring, but it has to be done. My world stops quarterly while I catch up on all the paperwork. The time approacheth.
Then there are the things I want to accomplish and should take care of:
  • I do need to do something about a couple of areas of the web site. The design is out-of-date and the contact pages don't work. The latter is something I could easily fix, but it's one of those situations where, if I'm going in to fix one thing, I should really go in and do the whole ball o' virtual wax. I got a start on my break, and I really should finish it before the end of the year. Unless something more pressing (like an extra paycheck) comes along.
  • I have a few photographic projects to work on. This should go higher up on the list.
  • Cleaning house. Oh, there are always housecleaning projects aplenty. Note how this is way down on the list. Yes, I keep up with the vacuuming and dusting and things that generally need to be clean are clean, but you know what I mean: the deep cleaning and the organizational tasks that often get tossed aside.
  • Christmas shopping. Below cleaning house. Now you know how much I really hate fighting the crowds. One bit of shopping will take place tomorrow, and if successful, will be blogged. The recipient will go with me to pick up the gift, so there are no secrets to keep.
I'm sure more items will pop up on the list. Big thing I've gotta do before everything else: pay the bills. Maybe I'll do that now and get it out of the way. A perfect way to end my vacation. Not really.

So how was your holiday?

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