Some of you wrote in the comments for Monday’s post that I am living a whirlwind and you don’t know how I do it. I’ve been feeling that way for a while now too and you are convincing me that it’s totally unnecessary! (I know, I keep writing this same thing and not doing anything about it.)
Yesterday morning, we all overslept because my sweet girl didn’t finally fall asleep until 10pm the night before, not for lack of trying (and I still have to be right there next to her), and the morning was ridiculously hectic. I have jammed so many things into my calendar that it’s impossible to get things done if I miss a beat. I’ll spare you the details. The feeling of rushing all the time, of finding value in every single moment, is just too much pressure!
Self-care has been a focus lately in several of my classes. We are talking about making sure we prioritize and do things to replenish ourselves. Well, I must simplify.
- I will schedule my to-do’s with a max of 3 per day. There is very little reason I can’t put off that trip to Costco or file papers a different day. Also, I will break tasks down into manageable chunks. “Review finance website and set up online budget” is something that is going to take hours, so I will be nice to myself and spread it out. No rush to get it done just to get it done quickly. Hopefully just knowing that I already have time set aside for a task will allow me to let it go for now.
- I thought I was treating myself to something helpful when I asked our housekeeper to come every week rather than every other, but I see now that rushing around to straighten up and reminding others to put their things away, waiting for her to arrive so we can get where we need to go in the morning, having to move around the house to let her do her work… it’s actually stressful for me!
- I will say “no” more often. In order to be able to say “yes” to song leading at synagogue or teaching Sunday school, I have to have space in my schedule to do the preparation those things involve. So I can’t join that book club or take another class. Sometimes it seems I have time but then I realize I definitely don’t. I have to proactively create space in my days.
- I am doing some deep spiritual development over here, which means I also need time to daydream and journal, to stare out the window and get in touch with my inner voice. I need to ponder what I’m reading, learning, and discovering. Rushing around leaves zero time for that, so I am really doing myself a disservice by not letting it all sink in.
- I will list all these classes and figure this out. Even if something sounds absolutely amazing, I will NOT sign up for more. (I’m taking a 30 day mama happiness class, so that doesn’t count, ok? I realize this is hypocritical.) I’ve been letting myself slack on some of them too: not doing anything at all with Paper Love or Soul Food (shouldn’t have spent the money, I guess); behind on Art Society; I have a full Evolving Wisdom class in my e-mail inbox I haven’t even started. Nobody is knocking on my front door to arrest me for slacking, so I guess I should stop beating myself up about it. 🙂 Maybe at another time I will be able to do some other things, but not now.
Do you get the Brave Girls’ daily emails? They are awesome. Here’s what popped into my inbox just when I needed it:
OK I’m off to schedule time do some tasks that are hanging over my head: renew a passport, make some store returns, work on my teaching curriculum, and I am going to put fun things in there too like reading a book during the daytime. Ha!
PLEASE please share how you tame your inner perfectionistic over-doing-it self if you have one! I probably need a support group.
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