This may just totally be me and my craziness but ever since I had Hollis - I'm in a constant state of being completely overwhelmed. I have a consistent very long to do list on my desk and on the refrigerator and most days I never get anything crossed off.
Harper only naps occasionally these days so most of the time from 6:30 until 8:30 at night - there is never a moment that I don't have at least one child needing me and so the only time I can do anything is from about 8:30 until 11 p.m. And that needs to include cleaning the house, laundry, Bible Studies, organization, working out, showering, spending time with Scott, blogging, answering e-mails, etc. And I'm super type A so sometimes just the thought of what I need to do gets me so overwhelmed I'm paralyzed and I end up not doing anything. And then I'm even more frustrated.
And some nights I'm so tired that all I want to do is sit on the couch with a whole lot of snack foods and just completely veg in front of the TV. And that does nothing for my productivity or my diet.
So I'm trying to learn to just take baby steps. I'm trying to break every task into very small chunks and just accomplish those little things in a day and it might take longer - but things manage to get done. It's kind of like the Dave Ramsey approach to paying off debt.
I've taken on a modified version of the "Fly Lady" and I just try to clean one room or do one major cleaning task (i.e. mopping, dusting) a day. If a miracle happens and both girls nap and I'm blessed with an extra hour or two in the day and some energy - I'll try to do several things and get ahead.
I'm trying to do at least one load of laundry - and PUT IT AWAY - a day.
I've challenged myself to answer 10 emails a day. My inbox is like Mount Everest. I look at it and just get exhausted. I have probably 500 unanswered emails and sometimes I just stare at my inbox and can't move. But if I can answer at least 10 a day - at least I'm making progress.
If I say I want to read the Bible in a year - that sounds wonderful. But I can't seem to stay on track. So I just try to read at least one chapter a day and just spend time in prayer during the day.
Diet and exercise are tough for me because my will power is not stellar. But I'm using an app on my phone called My fitness Pal and it helps me keep track of calories. I do my best and if I don't have a great day - I just start over the next day.
I need to work on Harper's speech with every day but sometimes the days are so busy with just the little things - I don't feel like I do an adequate job. I use every chance I can during the day to just work on words and sounds. I also am trying to teach her anything I can - like letters, etc. I still don't know how homeschooling moms do it.
I've learned to say no to a lot of things right now. I'm learning my limits.
I'm trying to do better at sitting down on Sunday nights and making a meal plan so we have healthy meals all week and maybe I won't go to the store every day.
I've made a list of all the major projects I'd like to get done around here this year - (cleaning out closets, desks, drawers, selling baby clothes, major cleaning jobs, etc) and I have a goal to do at least one every few weeks.
So I still feel a little overwhelmed......but chipping away at the big icebergs in my life a little at a time makes me feel like I'm getting somewhere. I'll probably never feel completely "together" but maybe I won't show up on an episode of "Hoarders" either.
And I'm not going to lie.................I daydream about Mary Poppins coming to live with us. A Lot.
What's your tricks to getting things done?
