I have discovered something wonderful and I’m sure Oprah will be contacting me soon to make me rich and famous.
Okay, we are all familiar with the list thing – shopping lists, chore lists, goal lists etc. But you know what the trouble is with these lists? They are too long!
My extensive research, case studies and social experimentation over the last three days have produced extraordinary findings! Yes, indeed, I have found the cure for lethargy!
The two candidates for this study were a teenage son and his mother who were becoming more and more depressed and, yes, lethargic, due to the grief they were experiencing when the husband/father figure went into a nursing home.
Neither the wife or son had been able to adjust happily to the new home dynamic despite having a close relationship. This was compounded by the son having to have major surgery and the mother losing her job.
Even a year after the husband’s admission to the nursing home, the son’s surgery and the mother’s loss of employment, all three were still struggling to accept the new status quo. All three were grieving in different ways and this resulted in numerous arguments with emotions running high, particularly between the mother and son. Both became exhausted and fell into a state of lethargy.
Then, three days ago, a plan was devised. Each day, the mother and son would write down a 3-point shortlist for the following day. This was done in a special notebook, almost like a contract. There would be one task that required both (we called that ‘mutual’), one task for the son, and one task for the mother.
The beauty of the shortlist is that it is ‘doeable'(is that a word?)
Okay, tongue out of cheek now – this is working, so watch this space!
jmgoyder 
Oh So Smart!!!
So, do you know Oprah? haha
Don’t I wish!!! 😉
Yay!
Absolutely!
I’m so happy that it is working! I’ll be your cheerleader if you want.:)
What do you charge per hour? ha
I wouldn’t charge you a penny.
Brilliant! I think I shall adopt this! Congrats!
There is nothing like a long list to defeat us!
Excellent plan and very doable. 🙂 Good luck! Pulling for you!
Ah you have the correct spelling – thanks, my friend!
of course dooable is a word, I tell robbo he is dooable all the time!! You guys may have cracked it, the ‘3 thing list’ sounds far more feasible! We always burden ourselves with too much and are then disappointed when we can’t achieve all. Good luck and may you continue happily! (Do you ever just write … ‘watch a movie’ for the together chore ?)
We have become addicted to the “House” series!
yes, there is such a word. I also believe that your new idea will lesson pressures on each of you. When each of you are grieving how can you do well with a longer list and still tolerate each other………..
You are so right, Terry.
“Doeable” is indeed a word… now.
Ha!
I’m watching. Go for it.
Okay!
That’s a great idea! Now you just have to develop a phone app for that and sells in for 99 cents. 😉
Haha!
Sounds like a good plan.
It’s worked for 3 days – yeeha!
Bloody great…………….
We had to do something!
sounds good-does that include bike rides, or is it strictly for chores?
Everything!
I may take a page from your book – if it is working for you it may work for me. Glad you are on to something………….
It’s working so far!
I know it might not seem like much to you , but are you aware of how much you have accomplished in this span of time? AMAZING!
That made me feel wonderful – thank you!
I use the word do-able all the time and tend to put a hyphen, as it looks funny adding ‘able’ to ‘do’…….yes, doable looks funny to me, but I notice that my Apple Mac Pro instant spellcheck stops me typing doeable and converts it into ‘doable’, so there must be such a word as doable. I suppose one could try and spell it dooable to rhyme with moo, but instant spellchecker keeps changing the double ‘o’ into a single ‘o’ also, so I guess doable must really be spelt doable.
Of course, Doable gives the word more meaning and makes it very powerful. A small ‘d’ just keeps it as the run-of-the-mill word as with all other words being typed in lower case. Mind you, if the word doable was at the start of a sentence, you’d have to put a capital letter ‘D’, because all sentences start with capital letters………..doable…….no, it still looks odd to me. Maybe I should just type ‘possible’ instead.
Do-able it is – you are so adorable!
It is a word but it’s spelled, ‘doable’. 🙂
So glad you found a compromise!
Me too!
I like this a lot! 🙂
It’s so simple too!
Like the saying goes, Julie, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!” ;-). Good luck with your new strategy!
Yes and thank you!
Glad you found something that may work! Sounds like it will. Good luck!
It better work!
A great idea!
If I do say so myself!
As the better half says, Keep is simple stupid. I try my best not to get insulted and i don’t mean this as an insult. Sometimes the answer really is simple. I’m looking forward to hearing about the progress
We’ve already accomplished so much!
Julie, you are such an inspiring pair, you and Ming. You meet adversity head-on. Love to you both as you carve out a new path ahead.
That is very kind of you, Kate. Thank you!
And it does work Julie… I believe it . 😉
Thank you so much!
I think I will do myself a doable list too .. everyday – because I don’t get anything done .. anymore until I really need too. Doable !!!!!! You’re very clever – wish I knew Oprah *smile
Oprah should meet you!
I probably will steal the show from her *smile
Excellent plan, Julie.
So far it is working!
I’m waiting cause this sure sound interesting…
It’s do-able!
Julie, we have all heard that necessity is the mother of invention. Clearly your shortlist, is a wonderful invention. I suspect many of your followers (me included) will find a way to use it. Keep up the good work Ma!!!! Take care, Bill
Okay, sonny boy!
This is a brilliant plan. I’m going to try it, thank you!
❤
I kept failing with my looooooooong lists – this is much better!
I’m going to try this today 🙂
you are so clever! don’t waste this on Oprah:) i am sure this is meant for bigger things like a self-help book maybe? just remember to be consistent and you got this!
You are so right about consistency!
VERY doable – a SHORT list is doable, yes! Good one, mum 🙂
Great idea. What kind of things do you put on your lists?
As sad as this was to read I have to say, “Well done Julie and Ming!” I love the shortlist idea. Hope you are both able to keep it going. 🙂
That is, indeed, an excellent plan!
It takes time to find what works. Glad you’ve done it!