My Train of Thought Up and Fell Off the Track!

It starts out simple. I have to call my Mom, wash his work clothes, and oh sheez, what are we having for dinner, I never picked the clothes up at the cleaners, the girls are coming for lunch Thursday, maybe I could make some cookies Wednesday night, did I send my nephew a birthday card? Oh no, I think the car insurance bill is due this week! I have to remember to RSVP to the party, hmmm are we going to be able to make it? I'd really like to get a walk in today, sheeez, it would be nice to get to that pile of ironing. . .and it goes on and on and on. I call that "mental train wreck" . . .

Did it ever happen to you, when one thought leads to another and another, and another and your thinking spirals right out of control. Suddenly we're dealing with a total "mental train wreck" happening in our head. Not to mention the anxiety that it causes our bodies, leaving us with very little energy to get anything done. When you realize this is happening, you need to stop that train dead in it's track.

The final straw for me, when my train of thought up and fell off the track, was forgetting to pay my charge card bill during Christmas time. Normally, I would never ever forget to pay a bill, ever. . . well it cost me dearly, and I hold the "mental train wreck" responsible. Since then, I have found a solution, that works for me! My cure of cures to end all "train wrecks". I now live off of "Lists".

Lists keep my train of thoughts running smoothly. First thing every morning, after I pray, and while I'm having my coffee, I go over my pink pad, that's my list for what I'm doing today. My yellow pad is my list for what can wait until the end of the week, and my white pad, is my whenever list. When a thought comes down the track, I go put it on my list, and out of my head it goes. I don't have to think about it again. I organize my list at night before I go to bed, cross things off as I do them.  I never thought I'd be mental organizing,  but it sure has kept things on track for me.