Do you ever feel like you have unrealistic expectations? That you hold others to too high of a standard. That your timelines are just too tight for what others can do? That you have a sense of urgency that no one else seems to feel?

I know I talked yesterday about analysis paralysis and how to get up and get moving to get a project (or projects) done. I did some thinking this morning, and realized that I don’t accurately share my thoughts and goals with others. I look at what I have to get done, and I have a timeline in my head for the day, week, hour, month, etc., and I know what time I will be able to do work on it, how long I expect it to take, and what I can reasonably do. If I hit a roadblock, I reverse and go on one of my alternate routes to continue on. I am not like most people. Most people out there, when they hit the roadblock, they take it as an excuse to stop what they’re doing, sit there, and wait for someone else to take care of it. Only when the way is completely clear will they get moving again.

I look at some of the projects we’ve got around the house here. They are not my projects, I am just a helper, doing the manual labour. There are so many projects that have been started and stopped, never picked back up again because we ran out of supplies, or the weather turned and we could not work out back, some of the supplies broke or were incorrect and need to be returned or exchanged, you get the picture. I brought up yesterday the garden and hot house projects, asking what else needs to be done, what we need to pick up at the store. Yesterday was the perfect planning day because it was cold and rainy, not a day to be working outside. I figured we could make the list of what needs to be exchanged, make sure we had everything else we need, and if we were short, add to the list for Menard’s. Apparently no one else thought it was a good idea, because I just got a vague “Oh, we’ll run into town on Friday and get what we need.”

Now, I did not come out and ask what the timeline is for getting this done. We still have a week or two before the last expected frost, so the garden and hothouse do not have to be ready just yet. I look at it as, why not get it all done, so we can move on to fixing the Kazuki brakes so we can move it around in the barn and I can actually get my Escape out so I can take Little Man to the river for a walk, or I can just escape into town to pick up a few things at Wally World and not have to take MIL’s van. Or we could get the golf cart up and running, pump some air into the tires, and take Little Man on some trips around the land my in-laws own.

I know, I know, FIL is a perfectionist, as am I. We are prone to procrastination, to crunching the time down to the last possible minute to get something done. However, I also know that when there are so many projects that have to be completed, it is much easier to just sit back, wait, and not do anything. I mean, nothing is getting done sitting on your ass on the couch in front of the television all day long. It’s not good for anyone’s health, and now that the weather is clearing up and the heat is visiting the Nort again, wouldn’t you want to get outside as much as possible? I know I sure do!

I guess I will just have to keep my expectations focused solely on what I have to do, and what I can affect. I am working with Little Man on communication, on trying to get him to start talking instead of pointing and grunting. I will work again on potty training when we go back South to my parents at their lake house for a few weeks, so those goals are currently on hold (my MIL paled when Squatch brought up working on potty-training up here). I got some good leads on how to find work for my new VA venture, and I’ve got plans for that as well. So, here I go. I’m adjusting my expectations for others, and looking at what I can do. I can at least be realistic with myself.