35 red x-marks

Everything I've learned about organization, I learned from the 1980 movie Nine to Five.

You know, the film where the three ladies from Consolidated take down their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" of a boss Franklin Hart (Dabney Coleman, natch!)....in part by harnessing him to a garage door opener in his bedroom until the invoices from Ajax warehouse arrive in the mail. (Four to six weeks, this takes back in 1980s office land.)

For dramatic purposes, Violet, DoraLee and Judy (l-to-r, above) keep track of how long they must incarcerate the odious Mr. Hart. So they create a wall-sized flip-chart calendar. During several musical montages, they mark off each day with a red "X", interspersed with various scenes of Consolidated's ever-improving atmosphere.....flowers placed on desks, daycare centers opening, punch-clock eliminated, company alcoholics going sober, orange paint going up in the locker room.

It seemed to work. In the end, Violet takes over the company and Mr. Hart gets sent to the jungles of Brazil, never to be heard from again.

I thought of that last night as I created the same for myself....to mark off each of the 35 days until marathon training begins on December 15. A calendar showing: what days I'm going to go to the gym, so I don't slack off. What exactly I'm going to eat each day, including a multivitamin. What time I'm going to make myself go to sleep (i.e., pre-midnight), no matter what juicy gossip is linked to politico.com or how much I want to play Scramble on Facebook.

After last week's string of 3 a.m. nod-offs and Reese Pieces binges (two), it was time to tame my inner Mr. Hart.

Faithful readers, I know this isn't as sexy as anonymous Craigslist chatting with casual dates. But there is an old trope about how it is easier to go on vacation when your house is in order. My house has been out of order for some time.