Getting things done without the phone

Today is the first Thankful Friday of 2012 – and what a lovely sunny one it is.

I'm thankful that I am gradually getting back into the swing of waking early, working for 8 hours and still being upright at the end of the day… it's amazing how just one week off sent my usual routine spinning out of control into an abyss of lie-ins and overindulgence.

Anyway, this week is also the week I have faced the reality that my flat windows are about to fall out of their frames and so I began the tentative process of finding someone to fix them.

Living in a conservation area, it's not as simple as calling in the plastic window people and that, coupled with the fact that my windows are massive, meant I spent a few lunch hours hunting for sash window experts who might be able to get my poorly windows back in shape.

So far, I have emailed six and heard back from three – all were happy to coordinate meetings without using the phone and the one I met yesterday was also fabulous at making sure he looked at me when he spoke.

It's been an incredibly pain-free experience so far – although I expect that will change when I get the quotes in.

I think sometimes the fear of doing something like this, something that often involves phone use – or that takes longer if you don't use a phone – often puts me right off doing it. Indeed, it's partly that, and the massive cost, that has caused me to put off repairing my windows and instead fix them with tape for the last six months.

Feeling the fear and doing it anyway – however clichéd that may be – is a wonderful mantra to live by, because once you've faced that fear, the euphoria is more than enough to carry you through the next challenging bit. I've hated contacting and dealing with these window people, but I know that once I've accomplished this, I will be so happy with myself that parting with the cash will be so much easier.

What I need to do now is apply that to the rest of my life.

To the love bit, the exercise bit – yes, I have redeveloped my fear of running and not even an egg timer can cure me this time – and the getting Deafinitely Girly to a wider audience bit.

Today I am going to feel the fear and do it anyway. Who's with me?