To-Do Lists and To-Don't Lists

So this should be pretty easy--I put a sign up next to my bed of daily tasks. There are only 3 things on it: Exercise for 15 minutes, write for 15 minutes, and read for 15 minutes. You'd be amazed at how hard it is to squeeze those 3 things in. The exercise is easy since I have a 30-pound daughter and live on the second floor and have a dog. The reading, I've decided, I will get done at night when my daughter is in her crib fussing. We have a tiny apartment, so if she hears the floorboords creak once, she'll call for us. So this is a good excuse for me to stay put for 15 minutes while she settles down. The problem is, tonight I fell asleep by minute 13. Why can't reading be more energizing like a cold shower or sleigh ride? Instead, it's incredibly relaxing and you always want to put your feet up and drink wine while you're doing it. I just nodded off, and then sat up straight again and finished my two remaining minutes, then came out to the living room to do a homemade workout of lunges meet kick boxing meet yoga meet who-knows what crazy moves I was making up to imitate exercise. Then I sat down to get some work done for the class I teach tomorrow, and I instinctively turned on the TV. I was creating a grammar quiz when I realized how distracting the loud commercials were being. I turned off the TV and have been sitting in silence ever since. This is not a rare thing for me. I like to end my nights in silence, but I thought it was a thought worth passing along to you. Think about how much TV sucks from your life. We instinctively turn it on for background noise, but silence is such a sweet, soft blanket instead of a Viagra commercial spewing off side-effects of a 4-hour-long boner. I'm just sayin'.