Perfect Poise, Perfect Life
Bring your body into balance and revolutionise your life
By Noel Kingsley
Publisher Hodder Mobius
AVAILABLE HERE

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Incompletions

I've just been waxing the mahogany furniture in my office. Having come in at 6.30am this morning, played my violin for 20 minutes and while doing so, I became increasingly aware of the rather dull and uncared for condition of the wood around and thought I should do something about it. The office cleaner gets the dusting and vacuuming done pretty well, but these extra things get missed.,.... that is unless I do it. And I don't mind. It feels good to get them done to my liking and out of the way.

But before waxing, I had to clear the surfaces, then realised there were corners that hadn't been cleaned for ages and got going on them too. This is not what I intended to do this morning, but as I had time, why not? So now the room is all spick and span, smelling nicely of bees wax polish and leather soap on the desk top.....and it feels goooooood!

I've had it in the back of my mind to do this for a while. Indeed it has been subtly and surreptitiously hanging over me as a job waiting to be done, but not yet tackled. Same with the pile of papers on my desk that I reduced last week, but is mounting again. So having cleaned and waxed the desk, I selected only the items I needed , leaving a pile of 'stuff' that I didn't want back on my desk, but now waits to be dealt with. And that's what I'll do in a minute. I'll either file it, send it or bin it. Job done.

When jobs are queuing up to be done and we know they're waiting, they have a draining effect on our energy levels. The tasks that 'hang over us' not yet finished or dealt with are sometimes called 'Incompletions'. And that is just what they are....jobs and tasks not yet completed. This doesn't mean only tasks started a while ago but not yet finished, but ALL tasks that are waiting to be done.....the ones that are nagging away at the back of our mind. They are the ones that when we think of them, we sigh, moan, blow air up at our nose-tip, look to heaven, sink a little in stature and occasionally swear.

It's great to get these cleared up, filed, cleaned and generally sorted and FINISHED in some way or other. When dealt with, they will no longer nag away at us. I know one person who looks at the mounting pile of papers and articles that people have sent him and he'll select out just a few 'essentials' then put the rest straight in the bin. If he no longer has them, he can't read them, so they are no longer 'waiting'. Job done.

It can be helpful sometimes to make a list of every little thing that's not dealt with. Call it a list of Incompletions. And against each item, to put a realistic date for when you are going to deal with it, or have it finished. Then you can tick them off as you go. If one job requires several stages of tasks to be done in the process, then each stage can be on the list with a date that allows for completion by the final date you have in mind. It's important to choose dates that are reasonable and achievable, because there is another form of energy drainer that is far more wicked, tormenting and ultimately soul destroying, and that is to MISS your own deadlines. To do so, lowers your self-esteem and energy quicker than a burst party balloon. Choose dates that are achievable, then enjoy the feeling of satisfaction when you've done them. Yes! Job done!

Getting tasks done opens spaces in your life for new exciting things to happen. When we're cluttered up, either with junk or incompletions, our life is 'full'. Make space for the new by clearing out, tidying, fixing, and getting rid of all those Incompletions that are hanging over you. If you can't fix it, or deal with it, bin it. And enjoy that feeling of being free when you've finished.

Yes!

:-)

Posted by Noël on July 18, 2006 8:46 AM | Permalink