For about 4 weeks now, I’ve been very busy with home projects. I know these are first-world concerns, but it’s really exhausting! There are so many decisions to make and a multitude of aspects to consider.
At some point in our discussion about painting the house, I told Mr. B that I could do all the painting myself. Since he’s wise beyond his years (and since we’ve done this before in a different house), he said he didn’t want me exhausted, trying to “get it done already.” I told him I would “take it slowly”… maybe paint one wall a day or something.
That last part gave him a good chuckle. “‘Take it slow‘ is not even in your vocabulary,” he said. I realized that of course he’s right. I have probably never done anything piece-meal like that. I dive in, work hard, and get it done, usually at some form of personal expense.
Most days, I’m spent by about 3:00, which doesn’t fare well for my family. The question remains… why? For someone without an 8-5 job, why am I so drained some days?
Theres a lot of chatting going on in my head. Planning, worrying, ideas spinning around. Overthinking has got to be similar to having your phone screen’s brightness turned all the way up. At some point, you’ve got to save battery.
I have no idea what I was busy with before 3 weeks ago, but I know I was definitely busy. Was I reading, writing, painting, editing photos, grocery shopping, researching summer plans or summer camps? Where exactly am I spending my time? I know I usually have a lot going on, but exactly what???
Imagine mental activity equivalent to a hamster wheel constantly spinning. There are future events to schedule, reminders to do/call/ask someone something, tickets to purchase, blog posts to write, bills to pay, laundry, groceries, … and on and on.
It’s pretty easy to generate a feeling of being busy. But could I do the same tasks with a feeling of ease instead?
Take a simple task of getting my daughter to her weekly dance class. I usually spend a few minutes a couple days before mentally going over my to-dos for this: make sure leotard is washed, clean out dance bag, put together a snack and drink for after school, put extra booster seat in my car for her friend and clear the back seat mess, make sure she has her weekly homework done early if possible, are her tights inside out? is her change of clothes still in the bag from last week? should I bring her some water?
None of these is particularly difficult, but it takes up head space. Is there some way to simplify this process?
I decided to create a list similar to one I use for when we go to the pool. Everything I need to gather is listed there and I don’t need to think at all; just gather what’s listed and go. If my daughter does a couple things, and if I put any small tasks or reminders on my calendar, there’s no more need to spend mental energy on this.
If everything works this way, it will be far easier to stay focused in the present moment. Sure, I’m still busy, but I’m not mentally exhausted. I think that will make a huge difference.
That, and hiring painters. 🙂
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