"Boomerang" Tasks

Lately, I've been reading "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin, partly because it might contain something useful and applicable for my new year's resolutions, and partly because it was 20% off at Target.  Plus, the cover looks so happy - like a bright sunny morning.



In her book, she writes about what she calls "boomerang" tasks - something you try to cross of your to-do list but ends up creating more work.  I have been experiencing a bit of this lately, and it is interfering with my sense of productivity and accomplishment.

For example, in cleaning out my closet, I wanted to do something with my wedding dress, which has been hanging in the back in a garbage bag, taking up a ton of space.  I took it to get it cleaned or preserved, or whatever you call it, and it ended up costing $250, which I wasn't willing to pay.  The woman at the store referred me to a place that would be cheaper, but now I'm considering just dry cleaning it and selling it, either online or at a consignment shop.  Unfortunately, this creates a bit of extra research and work.

I've also been trying to finish my fieldwork for my Master's program.  I'm in the process of transitioning from a middle school internship to a high school internship.  I finally got around to e-mailing the program director, which I thought would bring me closer to my goal.  Instead, it ended up adding about seven more steps to the process, and I feel even farther away from my goal.  I think the most frustrating part is that many steps end up being dependent on the responsiveness of other people, which I have no control over.  Crossing tasks off my to-do list "unclutters" my mind, so to speak.  It's frustrating to me to have extraneous tasks circling around in my head, like thought-vultures waiting to dig into my mind-carcasses.

Something the head counselor at my school always tells me is, "It's a process."  I think this is important for me to remember (easier said than done!).  I think that sometimes I am so focused on the end-goal that I forget to pay attention to the journey.  Accomplishment is great, but I think the process of growing and self-betterment is valuable as well, which, of course, is why I made my resolutions in the first place.  I'm hoping that if I repeat this to myself enough, it will help me to feel less stressed.