Move
Forward When Life is Hectic
Dear
friends,
For
me, 2015 is the year to MOVE FORWARD, and I've been writing about how
to move forward in different ways and circumstances. Today I'd like
to share about moving forward when life is hectic. A week ago, I
flew home after visiting family in Maryland. I needed to “hit the
ground running” but it was challenging to stay productive when I
was overwhelmed with everything on my To Do List. In addition, I was
in a car accident about two weeks ago, and I'm facing months of
recovery for damage to my back. Ouch! That sure slows me down! (Moving Forward in Pain and Weakness.)
This
past week, these are some of the things I did:
- unpack from my trip
- home school my youngest daughter
- do daily laundry, dishes, house cleaning, budgeting, and scheduling - though I needed a lot of help since I'm in pain
- go grocery shopping several times
- go to the chiropractor and massage therapist twice
- go for an MRI and a pain management / damage assessment appointment
- go to one other appointment
- take my daughter to a Valentine party at our home school co-op
- watch my sweet baby grandson for two afternoons - my other kids were there to carry him around
- shop on-line for birthday presents for three of my children and one of my grandchildren
- prepare for and host a family dinner (15 people) to celebrate the four birthdays
- prepare to teach a high school history class
- prepare for and host a teenager's sleepover birthday party with six guests
- have several long discussions with family members
- see two sons off to a weekend youth group retreat
- go out to brunch
- lots of errands – hair cuts, bank trips, library, pet store, etc.
- help my family adjust to our new dog – the first we have ever had!
- reassign weekly chores
- do two photo blog posts about my trip
- prepare for and attend a dinner outreach for homeless folks living at a local motel
- help my daughter figure out her high school schedule for next year
Anyway,
as I was muddling through all of this midweek, I started thinking
about how I could get through in one piece and do a decent enough
job. Here are some of my ideas:
- Plan for what you need to do, either for a longer general time period (a week) or before an event (what I have to do this afternoon). Make a list and check it twice. If there is a specific time, put it on your schedule or calendar.
- Use technology. I set alarms and make reminder lists for myself on my iPod using the Calendar and ToodleDo apps. I use e-mail and Facebook to coordinate event details with other people. I listen to music on my iPod to keep myself motivated. I take pictures with my iPod to jog my memory later. Can you tell I love my iPod? I did some of my birthday shopping on-line, and I can also do some of my banking, renew my library books, find recipes, look up time-saving information, make maps of where I'm going, and so much more on my computer.
- Rank the To Do items by priority. What has to get done? What should get done? What could get done if there is still time? I could have written more blog posts this week, but I didn't. They weren't crucial. When we're having a party, I don't attempt to organize the house thoroughly. Usually, I'm throwing stray stuff in bins and stashing it in my bedroom. This gives me extra time for the essentials, like cleaning the bathroom, tidying up the public areas, and preparing food.
- Decide if you want to eliminate anything from your To Do list right now, or just leave it open. I had other appointments I could have scheduled, but decided to save them for later.
- Decide what you can or should delegate to someone else. If you are in a crunch and no one else knows how to do it already, you may need to just do it yourself, but see if you can at least get someone to come alongside and assist you. Getting ready for parties required a lot of kitchen time, so I had some of my kids help with food prep as I supervised.
- Group your items logically. If you are running errands, try to do ones in the same part of town in one trip. If I'm going to the grocery store, I can also take books to the library book drop and go to the dollar store. If I'm really in a hurry and need lots of different things in one place, I go to the Super Walmart and knock it all out.
- Fill in the gaps of little moments. I always have my iPod Touch with me, so I can type in lists, check e-mail, read a Kindle book, or something else as I wait for at appointments, stores, stoplights, etc. Or if I am about to go to bed, I might tell myself to put away 20 things first. When I'm making dinner, I unload the dishwasher.
- Make sure to take care of yourself. For me, the chiropractor and massage were non-negotiable. I I'm not sure I could have moved without them! I took a few short power naps when I needed them, and spent some other down time to relax. I didn't do so well getting the nighttime sleep I needed, or eating right.
- Enjoy as much as you can, especially when you are spending time with others. I find it easy to get snappy when I'm tired, but then I have to remind myself to breathe, smile, and keep a good sense of humor. My kids sometime deflect my grumpiness by pointing out a pretty tree or giving me a hug.
- Communicate with others what you are doing. Coordinate your schedules and your expectations. Ask what others need. Share your feelings. Be generous with affirmations. Connect heart to heart with your family members. My kids sometimes need my attention and listening ear for significant chunks of time, sometimes late at night!
- Don't make yourself fix a complicated dinner every night if you're having a busy week. Buy some canned soup or pick up a pizza at 7-11. When we had our big family dinner, I didn't make everything from scratch. One of our main dishes was a frozen Stauffer's vegetable lasagna. One of my adult daughters brought over homemade soup one evening since I had been babysitting her little guy.
- Take time for simple fun and relaxation to lighten up the load, especially if your kids are feeling lost in the shuffle. Play a game. Watch a TV show with them. Look at a picture album. Give lots of hugs and kisses!
- Evaluate how things are going and make necessary adjustments. If you mess up, figure out what you need to do to fix it and get back and track. Don't let yourself wallow in your failures. Keep at it! Perseverance does the trick! It doesn't have to be perfect, and if you're overwhelmed, learn to accept “good enough” for now.
What would you add to that list?
You might like to read these related posts:
These are great tips! Ones I use frequently when I'm feeling overwhelmed or have a ton of things to get done/be/go!
ReplyDeleteI hope your appointments to heal your back go well and you can recover quickly! :)
Thanks, LB!
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