As You Age, Do You Notice Any Resistance in Doing Things You Don't Like To Do? I Wonder How Long I Can Compile Tax Docs

[Teacher Terry]

The last time I went to Europe I had an entire row of seats to myself both ways. I was able to lay down to sleep and it was great.

[SunGrins]

I am the champion procrastinator.so I have simplified my life in retirement down to doing mostly things I am capable of and even enjoy. I don't mind doing taxes since I use a fill-in-the-blanks software product that goes back and uses last year's info for the basics. I have investments but not rental property.

I choose to avoid the urban interstate highways near me. City streets actually work both ways and get you there in almost the same time without being shot at or rear ended or forced off the highway at the wrong exit or entangled in eternal road construction projects. Plus you learn the neighborhoods and commercial opportunities along the way.

I was more resistant to certain drudgery tasks when younger. I hate cutting the grass - so I moved to the desert - voila! no grass.

I was never good at housecleaning -- or rather not regular with it. I ignore it until it gets too bad and then I do it. I can do it but don't. I live alone and it is my own dust and clutter.

I have a fishpond. A cute little water feature when I bought the house. I had no idea what it takes to maintain it and at my age I'm too old to be crawling around on all-fours to clean filters and remove vegetation. The solution is one of three choices: hire someone to do it, fill it in and forget about it. or downsize it I'm leaning toward the downsizing.

I avoid flying as much as possible. I've had too many weird experiences and inhumane treatment by airlines to willfully submit to them again. Last time was in October '23 on a 3-week trip to Europe. The airlines gave me credit for canceled flights and then charged us $2400 to fly home. Why would I ever want to use a flight credit with them? Am I a glutton for punishment?

Mine are all 1st-world problems. I don't have to chop wood to cook or heat my home or walk to get clean water or worry about Guinea Worm or worse. I do have coyotes in the back yard.

[ohgeesh]

Sell them and move on what are you saving the rentals for?

[Nefret]

Originally Posted by Mikala43

Try chopping it up into small tasks. Day 1: get all the paperwork together that you can easily find. Day 2: organize the paperwork. Day 3: look for paperwork that is missing.

Etc. Start with the easiest parts.

Then reward yourself. Once you do your daily tax chore, give yourself a reward. TV show? Chocolate? Warm bath? Wine?

If your accomplishing some of the tax work, it should help with your anxiety, but doing one small portion a day won't seem as overwhelming.

Just a thought.

This is what I do. I just finished spending some time organizing my tax info, now checking in to see what's happening here on CD, then will knit for a while, read a couple chapters on my Kindle, work on my 2 weaving projects, then return to taxes and the cycle begins again.

A friend once criticized me for living my life in 20 minute segments but I'm lazy and tend to put things off but if I set out to spend 20 minutes on a task, I tend to go over that time once I get going on my task.

[Mikala43]

Originally Posted by Nefret

This is what I do. I just finished spending some time organizing my tax info, now checking in to see what's happening here on CD, then will knit for a while, read a couple chapters on my Kindle, work on my 2 weaving projects, then return to taxes and the cycle begins again.

A friend once criticized me for living my life in 20 minute segments but I'm lazy and tend to put things off but if I set out to spend 20 minutes on a task, I tend to go over that time once I get going on my task.

That's me too.