How do people get it “all” done? There are somedays that I go to bed feeling like I have conquered the world, and I have accomplished everything on my “to do” list for that day. But, more often than not, I go to bed feeling inadequate because I didn’t accomplish the many tasks that I had set on my plate for that day.
As I have gotten older, I have realized that I often set myself up for failure. I set my expectations too high for what I can accomplish for the day, and when I can’t, or don’t, meet those expectations, I feel like a failure. It could be a seemingly simple task such as finishing the laundry, which let’s be honest, that never happens, no matter how hard I try.
The point being, there are going to be days when I can’t get everything done, no matter how much I try; and that is OK. I am slowly getting to the point where I don’t beat myself up about it anymore.
There are only so many hours in the day and what I get done in those hours is what I get done. I am no longer willing to give up my sanity for a “perfectly’ clean house. Does that even really exist anyway? I am no longer willing to give up precious time with my kids to be out in the garden weeding all day.
Granted, the cleaning of the house and the weeding of the garden needs to happen, I am just no longer trying to do it all at once. Either the house gets clean and the weeds keep growing in the garden, or the garden gets weeded and the house looks like a small bomb went off in it. It is near impossible for both things to be done.
So, what to do?
Prioritize.
Figure out what is on the top of the list that is a must to get done, and do those tasks. Everything else can wait. That being said, my husband and children take priority over all of the things to be done. If one of my kids is having a hard day and they need more “mom time”, we stop and snuggle on the couch, or do something together that they want to do. They are the reason I am no longer willing to fight a losing battle with myself. Some battles are just not worth it.
For instance, I would absolutely love to make fresh sourdough bread for my family everyday but, in this season of my life, I just don’t have the time to devote to that right now. So instead, I just buy the best bread that I can for my family. It has been a game changer for me. I no longer stress about making sure we have bread for our meals, and that is worth it to me.
All of the little things on their own aren’t very time consuming, but all together, make a mountain that I just can’t seem to climb up yet. I’m 100% positive that I don’t want to climb that mountain! I’m not sure where it came from that we have to be able to to all of the things, all of the time, and be perfect at all of the things! It is a ridiculous mountain of a standard and one that I am no longer willing to die on.
Setting Priorities
Ruth Zimmerman , from Homesteading with the Zimmermans, said something in a video that her mother told her. While she was in the crazy stage of life of having, nursing, and raising babies that helped me. She said, ” A small well tended garden will and can produce just as much food as a large overgrown weedy garden.” Boom!!! My brain almost had a melt down at that statement!!! It applies to so much more in life than just a garden! You guys should check out her YouTube channel (linked above) Here is her Instagram too.
The point is, figure out what is most important to you and your family, and make those things happen. Do what you can and everything else can wait. Everything has seasons, and that includes our lives. In 2 years, my life will look totally different than what it does now. I will be able to do more of the things that I just don’t seem to have time for now. So pick your battles!
That being said, there are ways that you can help yourself out! For instance, my husband and I have started to sit down together one day a weekend to make a plan for the coming week. There are things we must get done, like homeschooling, working on our businesses, and chores. So we prioritize what we want to accomplish for that week. We use Trello to put all of our appointments in, homeschool lessons, and chores/tasks we need to get done for that week. We even have our monthly projects we want to get done on the app. This helps us to be on the same page with what needs to get done, and what our goals are. This has helped us to get more of it “all” done.
Change Expectations
So, how to get it all done? I change my expectations. I prioritize tasks. The tasks that don’t get done in one day will be there waiting for me on the next. No more guilt over it! I’m sure my kids and my husband enjoy me more when I am less stressed and not so crabby. So pick your battles. Decide what is a priority and make sure those tasks/goals are met. Compromise on the rest and be nice to yourselves, you deserve it. There will be a time and place for the rest I’m sure!
Don’t sweat the small stuff friends!
Sam
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