When I was a young teacher, recently out of college, I would put off grading handwriting papers way too long. It's just that it seemed like millions and also a dilemma came with them...do you write in red pen over all 15 capital G's that look like S's, or do you make one example and hope the child cares enough to change his/her handwriting to match? In my room, I remember there being stacks to grade. Every so often, when I got terribly behind, I would get an epiphany. "Will the kids really remember the day they practiced J and K? Can I just toss these?" I sometimes threw away a few stacks and no one ever knew the difference. After that, I felt so free and also more determined to keep up on that particular subject's grading.
I'm truly not advocating ditching responsibility...most of the time. However, in the mindset of simplifying, is there a project that has been hanging over your head? Think it through. Is it really going to make an impact if you just...don't ever do it? Can you throw away that needlepoint cushion cover you began in high school? Does your 25 year old son really care if you organize all his elementary school papers into a memory binder? There are times that you can just simplify your life and home by ditching a project and living to tell about it!
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