Photo by Justin See
Is your to-do list a mile long? Does it leave you overwhelmed at the end of the day--do you feel as though you're hectically running through life?
That is exactly how I felt late last year while walking through a stressful life season.
I felt busy and exhausted, frantically taking care of the children and doing life--but didn't have many "results" to show for it. I realized that the length of my to-do list was part of the problem.
Making a classic, overachieving mommy mistake, I had been expecting too much.
So I began experimenting with various systems to help me prioritize my to-dos and make them more realistic. I found encouragement from Tsh at Simple Mom and Stephanie at Keeper of the Home and wondered if there was a way I could more simply reorganize my to-do list.
Could I actually cross everything off each and every day--ending with a sense of closure instead of mild panic?
And I'm hear to tell you that yes, you can.
Six things.
Six things have revolutionized my to-do list and leave me feeling empowered instead of frustrated.
The first three items I put on my list are usually the same each day: read to the kids, dinner plans, and laundry.
You may wonder why "read to the kids" makes it on the list. Well, of all the activities I do in our day with the children, in my mind that is the most important and I want to make sure it happens. It matters and is vital to our family culture.
The other three items vary depending on the day. Often they relate to my writing and might be--finish Steady Mom post, start Simple Homeschool post, catch up on emails.
On another day it may be clean the bathroom, schedule doctor's appointment, edit blog post.
Now of course there are a million other tasks I do throughout my day, all relating to taking care of three busy and beautiful children. Getting them dressed, feeding them three meals, playing, going outside, learning together, and on and on.
And that's the point.
Writing down my six things brings a real freedom to my day. I love knowing that what matters will get done--the other stuff can wait.
My expectations of the possible now actually match what is possible.
If you're currently feeling lost and overwhelmed with what is getting done or left undone in your home--give the six things method a try.
(Post Time - 29 minutes)
Jamie is founder of this little spot called Steady Mom, editor of the blog Simple Homeschool, mama to three cute kids born on three different continents, and author of Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood.
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