Taking Myself to Task(s)

I've been so busy this week I haven't been able to blog as much as I wanted to. What was I doing all week? A task I loathe that couldn't wait any longer - sorting through *all* my children's clothes to weed out what no longer fit, what could be passed down to a sibling, and what should be passed on to others. I've been putting it off for, well - about 7 years now (my oldest is 8).

Since my daughter's bedroom was starting to resemble the back room of Goodwill, I decided this task really needed to be finished before school starts. Charlotte has the smallest bedroom - you would not believe how much clothing can live in the corner of an 8 x 8 room. Really, it defies the law of conservation of matter. I would swear that the clothing multiplied as I began sorting it.

Anyway, I had lots of time to think while doing this. What I began to wonder is why does everyone have certain tasks that they like, and certain ones that they hate? And why does there seem to be no rhyme or reason to it? I started thinking about my list of task likes and dislikes and could not figure out *why* I like or dislike any in particular over the other. I would say that I'm just lazy, except that doesn't explain it either.

Check it out and you'll see what I mean:

Tasks I like

1. Sorting and doing laundry
2. Washing dishes by hand
3. Loading the dishwasher
4. Cleaning toilets
5. Shopping for anything but groceries
6. Cooking
7. Any kind of creative task (sewing, decorating)

Tasks I dislike

1. Folding and putting away clean laundry
2. Drying and putting dishes away
3. Unloading the dishwasher
4. Cleaning the rest of the bathroom
5. Grocery shopping
6. Cleaning the kitchen after cooking
7. Any kind of task that makes me sneeze (vacuuming, dusting, sweeping, sorting - did
I mention I'm highly allergic to dust?)

Now I ask you - what sort of sense does this make? Where and when did I develop these odd preferences? How on earth is it that I enjoy getting the laundry clean but hate putting it away? Why do I hate grocery shopping but love to cook?

The only connecting factor I can come up with is I seem to like tasks that are either creative (cooking, shopping, crafty tasks which challenge my brain) or meditative (I can just turn my brain off and think of other things - laundry and washing dishes).

The tasks I hate make me use my brain in a logical, spatial-relations sort of way (figuring out where on earth to *fit* the clean clothes, clean dishes, and groceries). Of course I imagine anyone would hate tasks that made them sneeze!

Sometimes life has a way of working some of these things out. My husband likes (or at least doesn't hate) many of the tasks I hate. Now if I could just afford to hire a personal organizer I'd be all set.