Finish Your Plate

So I’m back at the computer. I’m trying to figure out why, as my list of things to do grows, my interest in doing those things decreases. I think it’s like going to dinner at one of those buffet places. I like to get a plate with a little bit of a lot of things because that’s one of the primary benefits of a buffet. But after even just a few bites, I remember that there are other options. I don’t want to get filled up on my first plate, so I go back for more. I neglect Mom’s advice to finish what’s on my plate first.
Oddly enough, I don’t end up overeating in these cases. I’ve may eat only a few bites of many things, maybe not even a whole meal’s worth because I’m overly concerned about what else I could be missing.
It’s kind of the same thing in the rest of my life. I started out the year, the month, the week, the day, with a certain number of things to do. Some of them didn’t get done. Yet this doesn’t stop other things from being added to the list. Naturally, I want to make some progress on some of the newer things. Newer things are more relevant, more timely, more hopeful somehow. So how come I’m stuck?
I get stuck because I haven’t finished what’s on my plate. When I try to move on to newer, more interesting things, I end up not finishing much of anything. The little voice in my head tells me I’m getting ahead of myself. So it’s time to take a step back and assess what’s on my backlist of things to do.