Ever feel like there’s not enough time in the day to get everything done?
You feel like you’ve been productive all day, yet your to-do list is longer than when you started? You keep planning your weeks, thinking this will be the week you get caught up, and wondering if this will ever get easier.
I’ve been there. Feeling like no matter what I do, my to-do list isn’t getting shorter. Feeling like every week is spent trying to keep my head above water.
Yes, mom life is hard. But you don’t have to feel like you’re drowning.
There will always be more to do then you have time for. That’s just life. And I don’t tell you this to make you want to crawl back in bed. I say this to give ourselves grace. To let you know that it’s ok to release your grip on your task list, even a little (honestly, I’m still working on this, too). Sometimes it’s ok to let the list sit while you go do something fun, (easier said than done, I know!).
First, it can help to do a task triage. Get all the things running through your head documented. Your brain wasn’t meant to hold to many things and it’s hard to focus when you have 42356 tabs open.
It’s also helpful to know what you want this season of life to do look like and feel like. Then, make sure what’s on your to-do list matches that. Some things might have to wait for another season. This is mostly true for our commitments, not so much as making dinner. Because yes, there are always house tasks that need to happen. But there are times when we’ve overcommitted ourselves and find ourselves stretched too thin. Sometimes we need to step back from something or wait until another season to volunteer somewhere, or coach the soccer team.
The last suggestion I have is to break your big, long list into manageable chunks. Pull 3-5 tasks off the long list to focus on today. Or this week. If you’re constantly looking at a big list, you are going to feel like you’re not doing enough
I have my big lists. And I pull off tasks for the week or day from those lists. Then I focus on those tasks for the day. If I get them done, I can take a longer break, or look at the big list again and find something else to work on. And because I’ve evaluate all of that with my commitments and goals, I know that those tasks are moving me forward.
Want support in implementing this in your life? Start here.