To do …or not to do

I am sitting here in my “command center” at my dining room table which serves as office and school room as well as a place to gather for meals.

Sometimes as moms out day starts off fairly sane, hopeful, with us feeling in control. Depending on the day this can quite quickly erode depending on the level of cooperation of the members of our household and the demands of the day.

I wanted to share a little trick I finally learned after 15 years of momhood and 40 plus of being a woman. A year or so ago I was feeling really discouraged because even though I was getting up at 4:00 am I felt I was not accomplishing but a small portion of my to do list and as they do that to do list was just as long at the end of the day as the beginning once the new tasks had been added.

I don’t recall who had suggested it because I hear so many great tips and life hacks but I decided to incorporate it. So I decided to keep a log of Everything I did in a day, not just for my hourly fee clients, but Everything (short of bathroom breaks & showers). That practice has continued for the past year and the result is that at the end of the day I can see exactly how I spent my time. The description is only as long as I need it to be, sometimes just a word (household, feed kids, pet care…) and sometimes it has an amount of time listed and sometimes it doesn’t. I keep the list in my notes on my phone which makes it very easy and convenient, not a burden.

If you try this you will find at the end of the day you have actually accomplished quite a lot, even if it was making three meals (& cleaning up after them!) for your family. It will help you see your time wasters and it will help you identify what you can delegate to professionals or members of your household or the random person who offers to help. 😅😇

It does not take the place of a to do list. It is a partner to it, a mirror of it, the other side of the scale.

It is the truth. Instead of accusing you of how little you accomplished because your to do list is a parchment rolling out the door like Santa’s wish list pictured in Christmas lore. It is confirmation you are doing your best. It is a reflection of your priorities. It makes you realize you did take time to be with your kids or take care of yourself, or maybe that you need to. Try it & see. ✨