Welcome to Wednesday Word, a weekly linkup for everyone, not just health and fitness bloggers. Each Wednesday you will have a single word prompt to write about. Let your imagination run free and share with your readers your interpretation of that word, or simply use it as inspiration for your post. Today’s word is accomplish….. I’d love to have you link up, and if you do, please remember to follow my six simple rules.
Accomplish – to succeed in doing something
~ Merriam-Webster
I’ve always said that I have two switches – on and off. I can get more done in one day than many people can do in a week; and conversely, I can plop on the sofa and watch eight hours of college football or an HGTV marathon without a care in the world…
Most days my switch is on and in order to best accomplish what needs to be done, I start with a list. Before heading to bed at night, I make my to-do list for the following day. I jot down everything that needs to be done and try to write it in the order of when I can get each item accomplished.
I always write my list on a piece of paper rather than the notes section of my phone for two reasons. Firstly, notes I put on my phone are out of sight/out of mind; and secondly, if I pick up my phone, I’m tempted to check out Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, my emails, etc.
My typical to-do list might look like this. Yes, I even jot down my workouts, meals, and my shower, and you can bet that last week while packing for Ragnar DC every little task that needed to be done was put on one of about three lists I had going on!
If I’m unable to complete one of the tasks, I move it to the next day. I don’t beat myself up, I just promise myself I’ll get it done. And yes, occasionally an item will be moved to the next day for two weeks before I can finally check it off. When I think of something I need to do three days or a week down the road, I’ll pull out a new piece of paper, write that day at the top, and add the item before I forget about it.
I’ve narrowed down what I’ve found to work best for me into eight tips for how to accomplish more in less time:
And since this is a running blog, I thought it would be fun to mention a few accomplishments in my running career that I never dreamed about when I was younger. As a high school track runner, I ran the 400, 800, and a couple of relays because I couldn’t even imagine running a mile, or gasp – two miles.
Little did I know that one day I’d fall in love with distance and mid-distance running. Little did I know that my accomplishments would include running forty marathons, a 50-mile ultra, and five overnight relays. If you’d told me that back then I would have laughed, especially about running out in the middle of nowhere at 3 AM. Heck back then I was afraid of my own shadow!
What have you accomplished that you never dreamed possible?
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Next Wednesday’s Word: Wisdom
#6 is key! Social media is such a time suck! I’m horrible at making lists but I tend to do it on the weekends so I don’t stress over what I have to do – I see my list and know if I get those things done I’m good!
Coco recently posted…Running After The Next Accomplishment
I am so bad about letting social media suck me down that rabbit hole…
I love your tip of getting your least favorite task done first- I always save it for later in the day and spend the morning thinking about it!
Lauren recently posted…Rock N’ Roll Philly Recap
As Nike says, “Just do it!” 😉
OMG I love lists! I keep a running one at work (no pun intended) because when a new task pops up I just add it to the list. So much satisfaction at checking those bad boys off! And your tips are awesome, Deb. Particularly the social media one. It’s like a rabbit hole.
Anne Reynolds recently posted…What Have You Accomplished Today?
It’s almost like I’m too dependent on my lists because if I don’t have one going, I get very little done because I don’t know where to start. Sooo, if you ever notice I’m liking your tweet, IG pic, and FB post all at about the same time, you’ll know I’ve fallen in that rabbit hole I recommend staying clear of… 😉
I”m definitely a doer, but I”m not great at making lists. The good thing about them is that you feel so accomplished once you’ve crossed everything off.
See what I did there?
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…What Do You Want To Accomplish?
I see what you did there! 😉
Great tips, Deb!
Heck, just starting to run was definitely an accomplishment!
Judy @ Chocolaterunsjudy recently posted…How will I Accomplish My Goals?
Yes, especially since you started running later in life. Had anyone told you twenty years ago that you’d be chasing half marathons in every state right now, would you have believed them?
#4 is one that I really need to do! I get so overwhelmed with the larger task and get flustered and frustrated ;(.
My biggest task right now is cleaning the house and I just get so overwhelmed ;(.
Thanks for the reminders!!
Start with one room at a time maybe?
It’s great having you back with us!
That is a lot of running Deb! Awesome accomplishments 😉 I often get overwhelmed by big tasks and try to break them down, but I am queen of not finishing things. I have cleaning projects that really need to be done, but I feel I never really have enough time.
Totally crossing the line at the first half marathon I ran. I had never run that far before and I felt great!
That’s such a huge feeling of accomplishment when you cross the finish line of your first big race, isn’t it? Congrats! 🙂
Great tips! I think tackling unpleasant or difficult tasks early in the day is key for me. As the day wears on, the more likely I am not to tackle those items. Never, EVER, did I think I’d do a triathlon. And now 4 later — huh. Thanks for the link up!
Awesome! If I donned water wings and completed a tri that would be a huge accomplishment for me! 😉
Lists are my jam!
It’s so interesting to see what we have accomplished in our lives. I’ve done lots of things I never thought I would be able to do, and while they don’t seem particularly noteworthy in the grand scheme of things, they are important to me.
Your running credentials are so inspiring! It’s so great when we get to accomplish the things we set out to.
Jenn recently posted…wednesday word: accomplish
I think when we sit down and think about just what we’ve accomplished over our lifetime it’s a lot more than we would guess. From a non-running perspective, raising our sons was most definitely my husband’s and my greatest accomplish! 🙂
Great tips. I’ve survived 7 months of this deployment while juggling a full time career, two kids and everything else in between, LOL!
Michelle recently posted…Thursday’s thoughts
Your accomplishments have been pretty amazing!