Hello hello and happy Monday my sweet friends! I hope you all had a great weekend. We had a very good weekend. We ended up going to Columbia, SC to watch the Gamecock versus Texas A&M game and if any of you watch or enjoy football, you know it was a pretty good game! We ended up winning which was great, but it was also the first time USC has ever won against them, as well, making it such a fun and exciting game to be a part of. I will definitely have to share some videos and photos over on my Instagram stories.
Today, I thought I would talk a little bit about the ever ongoing struggle with our to do list.
The other day, one of my sisters messaged and was explaining how overwhelmed she felt with all of the things on her to do list and the feeling like there is never enough time to keep up with everything. Do you ever feel this way? I know I have. It can feel so paralyzing at times and overwhelming.
We as women, carry so much weight on our shoulders and I think every woman can attest that no matter their current life situation, they have felt overwhelmed with all of the “things” we need to do. Our to do list is essentially never-ending and when we don’t get time to keep that list at bay, it can really start to eat at us.
So today, I want to talk about a few ways we can help better manage this list, including ways to tackle the list itself and/or just tackling our relationship with it.
My first tip is probably my most important tip, so if you read any of these, read this one; and that is to acknowledge and accept that there will always be a list and it will wax and wane with feeling accomplished versus feeling overwhelmed by it depending upon the season we are in. This step is my most important because I think a lot of times we want our to do lists to be at zero. That’s it. There is nothing left! But, that sadly is not the reality. There will always be more to add because that is the way life is. So accept it. Acknowledge it. And know sometimes it will be worse than others.
My second tip, is know that while you have a running list that is never ending and eats at you, your husband will most likely not. Their brains don’t work that way it seems, so the more you fight against it, the harder it will be.
These two tips, can help a lot. Sometimes when we just acknowledge and accept the reality versus placing our expectations on it, we can feel a lot better and breathe a sigh of relief.
Now, let’s talk about ways to accomplish this list. Personally, I am still navigating ways to better manage this myself, but I think I have found a few ways that make it more bearable and less overwhelming.
First, is to take the things you have to do every week and dedicate certain days or times to those items. For example, on Mondays I grocery shop, or Fridays are my laundry day. Find days and times that work best for your schedule or if they can’t be the same ones every week, then make sure they are in your calendar. Having those things taken care of will take stuff off your mind to make room for other items.
Next, is planning out your month accordingly. I like to look at each month and see what I have coming up, so that I can plan appropriately. Ideally (I say ideally because I personally am still working on this), whatever big things are coming up that month you would handle right at the beginning. For example, you have two birthdays and an event for the kids’ school that month. You would buy the gifts, cards, and all the supplies for those things the first week of the month, that way you are all set and don’t have to be rushing at the last minute.
Thirdly, is having a manageable to do list each day. I like to have 3-4 items on my to do list for the day and just aim to accomplish those. 3-4 things might not seem like a lot, but when those compound over time, day after day, you can actually get quite a bit done. It also helps that knowing some days, you may not have time to get much of anything done, so knowing you will go right back at it the next day, can be helpful.
Fourth, is to do the annoying things right as they come. This is more of a tip for me, than anything else because something I was and am notorious for doing is procrastinating those little random things. Some examples would be scheduling an appt, writing a thank you note, taking your car to get an oil change…you get my drift. I am sure you can think of a few of these items that you may have been putting off, as well. Here is what I have found though…typically these things typically only take 10-15 minutes to accomplish (so not much time at all), yet they eat at my brain! Like, they are constantly back of mind. Because of that, get them and off your mind. They will constantly add up, but taking care of them as they come will be much easier and less stressful.
Lastly, is outsource and delegate. I know this isn’t possible for everyone, but if you can afford a housekeeper, have them come twice a month. Or maybe during those really busy seasons, you get your groceries delivered instead of going to the grocery store. Another idea is pushing off some tasks onto other members of the family. We, as women, tend to take things alone, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Give two to three items to your hubby or boyfriend. Give something easy, like taking out the trash to your kiddo. Having one less thing to think about, means you have just a little bit more room and space in your own head. I always try to think about what my mental health is worth. If cleaning your home is stressful and hard and gives you constant anxiety, then what value is that to you. Is that worth someone coming in? If it is, then go for it and never look back. If it’s not, then try to find ways you can make it a little bit easier and little less overwhelming.
I would love to know your thoughts on this post. Comment below and let me know what you think or if you have any tips yourself. As I was writing this, I realized I have quite a few more so perhaps another blog post is in order!
xoxo,
Melissa
