Oh, The Games We Play
Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated. I tend to get bogged down and overloaded with all the stuff I have to do, and then become paralyzed and unable to do any of it! I often have to play games with myself just to get moving in the right direction.
I love the “Just for Today” game, because it allows me the freedom to feel that I am not chained to my “shoulds.” I should eat better. I should exercise more. I should (fill in the blank). Yeah, I KNOW I should, but for the REST OF MY LIFE? I can’t do it, I tell you! The PRESSURE! But for just one day, I think I can.
Another game I play is: “Beat the Clock.”. Wow, I can move fast if I think I’m going only going to have to do a dreaded chore for 5 tiny minutes! The timer has been a good, good friend to me over the years. I used it A LOT with my kids, and it still works great for me. It’s truly amazing how much you can get done in 5 minutes.
And who could live without the game of “I’ll Reward Myself Later?” Hey, no one is going to give you a medal for cleaning toilet bowls, so I firmly believe that rewarding oneself is perfectly justified. Chocolate is always good motivation, but rewarding my own hard work with some “eye-resting” (read: nap) is always my go-to choice.
Then there is the pathetic “I’m a Martyr” game, in which I do my tasks with much sighing and despair. Only I, the overworked and underappreciated mother of this ungrateful lot, am asked to do more than the fair share of work around here.
It sort of feels good to feel this bad.
But this game usually backfires on me because the other participants are all too willing to let me serve slavishly without feeling one bit of remorse! Such nerve. Why I oughta….. …
Why I OUGHTA play: “Let’s All Work Together, And Cheerfully.” But see, it’s that last clause that gets me in trouble. When I don’t see cheerfulness in my subordinates, it makes me mad and then I return to playing “I’m a Martyr.” “Let’s All Work Together, and I Don’t Care What Your Attitude Is” is a much better game, but it requires some organization and follow-through on my part, two things which are severely lacking in my personality. I’m still working on that.
One of my best games is: “Make a List, Then Do Other Things Not on the List.” This is a fun one because my rule is that you can add the Other Things to the list (after you do them) and then cross them off. Like you meant to do them in the first place. The beauty of this game is that you get to experience that heady feeling of accomplishment without actually accomplishing anything on your original list.
Clean out fridge
Pay Bills
Wash clothes
Sort through old magazines and read them
Blog
Return Overdue DVD’s to Blockbuster
Then there are the games of Pretend. “Pretend I am Getting Paid,” and its corollary, “Pretend I am on Nanny-Cam.” Honestly. Some days I’d have to fire my own self for doing such a poor job. Pretending I have someone watching me gets me off my butt and into gear. Hey, I’m not getting paid to watch The Price is Right, so start moving.
Today I have a long list of things that need to be done. With such a selection of games to help get me through, it’s hard to decide which one to play. I’ll probably employ a combination of games, depending on my mood and caffeine level.
So let the games begin!
