We’re moms. Which means we have 1,245 things going on at any given minute. Right?
Let’s prove it: how many items are on your to-do list right now? (Go check.)
And how many hours – good hours, not food chopping and kid chasing and bath giving – are left?
It’s time to fix the “too much to do, too little time” paradigm we’re living in. Ready?
What’s on your to-do list?
How much are you putting on there? I mean, come on, girl. Be realistic.
Have you ever mapped out your hours (Laura Vanderkam style) to see what you’re working with?
Subtract the kid chasing, food prepping, house cleaning, mommy taxi services, all that. What’ve you got?
That’s how much you’re looking at for to-get-done-today’s. (And I want to see time for your own cup of coffee in there, too!)
Ban the projects
Are you letting projects stand in for to-dos? That’s the surest recipe for failure (in the “I didn’t even finish one thing today” sense).
What I mean by this: If you have “declutter the kids’ closet” on your task list for the day, it’s probably not going to be completed. (Unless you’re using a day off.)
So what does that do to your mindset when you move a constantly unfinished task from day to day to yet another day?
You get discouraged. You think you didn’t make any progress. And you begin to wonder if it’s worth doing (finishing) at all.
But when you break it down by discrete actions, suddenly you’re making noticeable strides every day and crossing out those line items.
Like this:
- Remove the too-small clothes and stack them in a bag for ThredUp
- Throw all the shoes back in the shoe corner
- Take all the toys out and dump them in the living room
- Bring in a small trash can and throw away all the scraps
- Separate the underwear and socks back into their own containers (Just my kids? No?)
- Rehang coats and dresses that fell to the floor
- Straighten a few last things, and you’re done!
To-dos are important, but your sanity is even more so.
You’re the boss
Finally, remember that you’re the ultimate boss of your task list.
Slept terribly (like, not at all) last night? You can skip the dusting this week. Really – it’s okay.
(Note: If your new habit is skipping every week, we need to talk about overloading your schedule in a busy life season!)
Need a breather after a toddler fight at the grocery store? Ditch the meal plan and reach for that frozen pizza you stashed in the back of the freezer for such a time as this. (You smart mom, you!)
You get the picture – to-dos are important, but your sanity is even more so.
So if your to-do list is interfering with your mental wellness, cut yourself a bit of slack and delete something (without doing it).
It’s going to be okay; the world won’t fall out of orbit.
A happy mom, a well-rested wife, a restored woman is far more essential than a clean kitchen seven days a week.
You’ve got this. Now go out and conquer that task list.
What’s going to get crossed off (permanently) today?
