Have you ever felt like you can’t get things done? Since I am not working at this time, I made myself daily to-do list which I feel is manageable. The things on it are basic chores and daily tasks that I feel will get the house in order and keep things running smoothly. I mean… I have ONE job, right? Well, it’s not as easy as I anticipated. I’ve always had respect for moms who get to stay home with their kids. I just thought since mine are in school, it’ll be a walk in the park. I mean, I have all day to get things done!
I’m pretty sure the time between drop off and pick up passes abnormally fast. It seems that I just drop them off and it’s time to turn around and get them. Plus, since I had been working and my husband was working, we’d let a lot of things go. We did bare minimum to just get by. I found myself in a funk because I was completely overwhelmed. With work there was structure to each day and week. I didn’t handle my first few weeks off well, hence the messy house and weight gain. The lack of structure crippled me.
This week has been great so far. It’s Tuesday, so bearing that in mind, it’s off to a great start anyway. I sat down on Sunday and I really planned out my Monday. I went into excel and made a table. Each line is 1/2 hour increments. Starting at 5am and ending at 11pm. I printed it out and penciled in my entire day. I tried really hard not to be idealistic. I wanted to be able to stick with it. Having a plan made all the difference yesterday and today.
I have wanted to exercise, but I’d tell myself “I’ll do it later.” I thought I should get the house cleaned first. Then I’d look at all the things that need to get done and find myself sitting on the couch, scrolling through my phone and telling myself “I’ll clean in 15 minutes.” Then in 15 minutes, I’d give myself another 15 minutes. As if I was trying to sleep in, I kept hitting snooze. Then it’d be time to pick up the girls, dinner, homework, bedtime routine, etc. I was baffled how the whole day was wasted and really beating myself up for failing. Same with my food intake. I had no plan and just numbly went through the day eating away my guilt and caving to every urge that I had.
I got coached on the thought “I’ll do it in 15 minutes.” The thing is, that thought actually feels good to me in the moment. I justify sitting around doing nothing, because I truly believe I’ll get to it. I didn’t even realize how insidious and poisonous that thought is because it felt good and came from good intentions. I do the same thing with food. “I’ll eat healthy tomorrow” justifies eating junk all day. I say it with every intention of following though, but when the next day comes, I tell it to myself again.
In summary, how to get things done:
- Make a plan.
- Acknowledge that “I’ll do it later” or “I’ll start tomorrow” is a LIE.
- Tell yourself “I’ll do it now.”
- Get up and get things done!
Crazy. I know. How to get things done? You manage your thoughts and just do the things.
The Difference A Year Can Make 