The Spider in My Freezer

As I reached for a Lean Cuisine in my freezer this afternoon, I noticed the same thing I've noticed a hundred times now -- just below the ice dispenser, there's a small Rubbermaid storage container holding a frozen spider.

It has been well over two months since Leo caught this creepy arachnid in our bedroom and decided to freeze it so that we could safely and scientifically determine through a google search that it's not a harmful variety. Over that two month period, this container:
1. has fallen out of the freezer
2. has been taken out of the freezer so that I could look at (admire?) the spider
3. has been taken out of the freezer so that I could show the spider to my parents, the entomologists that they are.

But not once have I taken the spider container with me to the computer so that I could complete my google search. Until today.

Why is it sometimes so difficult to do a task that is staring me in the face? Is it because there are so many tasks staring back at me?

I'm sure that's part of it. When Daphne's napping or otherwise well occupied, I sometimes get too overwhelmed by the number of things I could/should be doing. I am trying to get better at this. I figure doing any thing is better than doing nothing (isn't that a variation of a famous quote?). I've stopped making to-do lists, because they end up being way too long. And it doesn't motivate me to cross off one thing from a lengthy list. Instead, I'm practicing focusing on one thing that needs attention. It feels good to get one thing accomplished at a time.

So this afternoon my accomplishment happened to be determining that our spider species most likely belonged to the Salticidae, or jumping spider, family. I suppose this is better than the spitting spider or fishing spider families, but I don't like the idea of a spider that is "known for its curiosity."

Do you have any tips for getting things done? Have you read the book by the same name, and does it translate well to family and home maintenance? I'd love to hear from you.