Sometimes if I were to have a TO DO LIST: I would write...KEEP EVERYONE ALIVE AND HAPPY today. That's sometimes all that happens that day and you know what sometimes that's good enough. But for me, if I don't feel like something productive is going down it's real easy for me to get in a rut. Meaning, my passion, my spunk, the things that fill my tank get lost and I get bored, which means I get more frustrated easily. I lose the meaning of the "little" things that matter in a "big" way.
Now I don't want you to think that just "mothering" alone is not enough, it is! Just getting through the day with the kids all in tact and not cussing each other out is a feat in itself. I GET THAT! When my house is still standing and when my husband asks if I actually remembered to feed the dog today, and I can yell a resounding YES! That is a good day in itself. But I long for more...
It's been a weird transition for me to go from lobbiest for a non-profit in Washington, DC and volunteering on the President's Advance Team, advancing (hence the name advance team) his events and getting the press ready- full-time youth ministry again which was my first love- becoming a mom-doing both ministry and one baby-then having two babies and having the complete STOP DOING and BE time that God called me too (blog post here: http://khop.weebly.com/1/post/2013/09/monks-dont-wear-yoga-pants-or-do-they.html) (that one almost killed me). And now I'm in the place of working/coaching from home but still being mommy when babies are home from school 5 days a week.
So when I was crazy busy in ministry or even when I did my stint on Capitol Hill, I was busy, running from meeting to meeting, preparing meetings with members of Congress, calling press outlets and making sure everything was mapped out and perfect for the President's speeches and events. So of course I made TO DO lists. I had lots of them. Mostly I would just write things I need to do down and I would mark them off when I was done with them. If I didn't have the things I needed to accomplish written down I would have failed on many occasions. I would have never really known where I was headed or what I had to get done. I knew it was important to keep a running list at the end of the day so I could see what had been accomplished and then see what things needed to get done tomorrow. I had a plan, a specific one, and I got it done. I am sure there was a way I prioritized and there are many articles and books I have read on what to do first, etc....but I just know it got wrote down and marked off when it was done. And everyday I knew I did something!
But since I have been in mother-mode the TO DO list has fallen by the wayside. And I don't really know why. It's not like I am less busy then the days of working full-time. I would say what used to be 8-10 hour work days are now 12-16 hour days. ON MY FEET all day. Oh, how I sometimes long for the days I would ride the train to work with my coffee and a real newspaper in my hand. (The real, actual newspaper. Gosh, I need to get a subscription to a paper. People still throw newspapers on porches from their bicycles at 4:30am right?)
I actually was able to sit and hear my own thoughts without interruption. I could be organized.
But now there are so many more distractions. I have one thing I am doing only to be tugged on by one of the little's who needs something. Something really important like her mickey mouse or his boo boo kissed.
So why in the world wouldn't I be making a list of things I need to accomplish for the day. How in the world do I remember to do ANYTHING?
I still have things to accomplish, it just looks different than before, but still important. I read an article http://www.fastcompany.com/3021379/work-smart/the-amazing-history-of-the-to-do-list-and-how-to-make-one-that-actually-works?partner=newsletter&utm_source= a friend posted on facebook from Fast Company that prompted me to re-think why I am not making a to do list daily. Even if it's for me just to see that I actually accomplished something that day. Something is going down, I just get to pick the focus and what goes down each day. That's my choice. Yes, things will change and I will have to be flexible when Carter Mae decides to use my lipstick as a hairbrush streaking her hair "Hot Mama" RED. But by the end of the day I can mark my stuff off.
In the olden days it might be a call to CNN to make sure they have the first camera for the President's speaking event, or finish the small group curriculum for this month's youth bible study. Now my TO DO list might consist of:
Take the kids to the library and pick out a specific book we read together, or teach them a virtue of the day, get laundry REALLY done, unload dishwasher, organize junk drawer, encourage someone by writing a letter or invite our neighbors to dinner. Or during naps make sure I allot time for abiding in Christ, as well as research nutrition and goals for KHOP. Listen to a TEDx talk, journal, write.
My LIST might not be as glamorous as before, but it needs to get done. And honestly if I don't write it down, the less fun things are going to be put by the wayside and then after months of piling up it's going to really stress me out. I need to map my day to know when I will get those things done so I can have time to just BE with my kids when they are home.
I love to learn, I love to grow, and just because it may look different it needs to be a priority for me. I just have to choose my time wisely and be specific in how much time I will read this or that, limit distractions such as facebook, social media. Because when I don't have a plan it's very easy for me to just waste my time. I am still trying to figure all of this out since I am my own time manager. I am my own boss, and I just need to make it count.
If you are on this journey of TO DO LISTS, how to stay productive in the day, figuring out what that looks like, how much time you allot to spiritual, mental, physical development I would love all thoughts and suggestions. What have you figured out that works for you? Please Comment below.
Here is a cool 30 day TO DO list a little different then I am talking about, but very creative and I will incorporate some of these.