Annoyances Sewing and other stuff

I started reading, yet another motivational book, they can be useful if you have a goal in mind and need a jump start.  This book started with getting rid of petty annoyances, they suggest you start with a list.  Here's my list.  They suggested that you start with 100 items.... I excelled coming up with 140, and I add to it as I remember new things.  You may not realize how many little (and big) things you put up with in a day.  It was slow starting but once I got going it snowballed.  So this will be on my to do list for the rest of the year.

The reason for listing them, is so that you can take action on them, I had to start a column in the center to group annoyances that were related.  Some of them are long term, others can be taken care of in a day.  Some pleasurable (manicure, pedicure), some not so much (unclogging the drain in the guest bedroom, cleaning out the refrigerator, washing the floors, laundry, ironing).  So every time you find yourself looking at something and thinking, I need to get to that, and don't do anything about it, it's like clutter in your brain, and it will start to slow you down.

So let me help you get started....
- sew on that button on those pants you never wear because they have no button
- Final touches on a garment that is 98% finished
- Empty out garbage bins
- Hemming
- Clean the bathrooms
- Shave
- Pluck stray hairs
- Practice buttonholes

You can assign yourself 1 a day  or just power through the list as you banish those annoyances.  If you can group them and give yourself a deadline.  It's a fun exercise and can jump start motivation.  Also don't forget to treat yourself when you've tackled some of these items.  A walk in a park, or the beach, a vanilla ice cream cone dipped in chocolate, a soak in the tub, 10 minutes a night reading a book, try out some of those body products you've been hoarding, make yourself a cup of tea and have it in that fancy china you never use, go to a high end store and snoop shop (don't forget to take your camera and post pics).

 

 This coincided with my reading the Singer Sewing Book by Mary Brooks Picken first printed in 1949.  She was the Martha Stewart of sewing in her time.  Now why would I link these two books together?   The second chapter To Sew Successfully, with subsections Mentally - Physically - Materially - Plan For Sewing Time.

Specifically she addresses how all of these areas affect our sewing, and that some of the tasks are tedious and annoying (who has ever had to rip out yards and yards of stitching).  Her recommendation is that you practice those tasks, over and over again, until you no longer find them tedious or annoying.  It's good advice, I'm sure there are a few techniques that I do my darndest to  avoid, that I should be practicing.  Before I can get to that though, I have to clean off the dining room table so I can continue working on my jacket.

So what's on your list of annoyances?