By the time Tuesday rolled around I forgot all about what I read on Monday. I was NO good at applying this lesson to my life. Monday we got home form our Thanksgiving Trip. I got a lot of unpacking done that evening, but Tuesday was just SO full. I got up that morning, worked on Day 9, prepared for the day and then sat down and made myself a HUGE list of things that I needed to get done that day.This is just a SHORT example of things that were on our schedule yesterday…..this is NOT everything on my list!
1. work
2. kids to school
3. grocery shopping
4. work with a friend on some church items we need done by Sunday
5. make some phone calls for church items
6. run
7. blog
8. help kids with homework
9. piano lessons
10. toddler story time for one kid
11. Jr. Jazz basketball at 5pm for another kid
12. Jr Jazz basketball at 6pm (in a different location) for another kid
13. My turn to be snack mom for one of the basketball games
14. Pack Meeting at 6 for another kid
15. 11 year old scouts for YET another kid
16. Finish putting up Christmas decorations and put away fall decorations
On top of all this was the usual: laundry, shower, get dressed, make meals, feed the kids – drive them all these places!
I felt like SUCH a failure after reading lesson 8 coming up with a to-do list like that. I looked at it and couldn’t figure out much to cut. I did cancel our piano lessons because we had been gone and my 11 year old didn’t practice. This allowed me a little more time to sit and help with homework. And since we missed school Monday we had double the homework, which ended up being double frustrating.
I did think of this lesson and remind myself that I didn’t HAVE to do it all. I tried my best to remember that. I washed bed sheets, because they had to be washed, but then I stopped myself from doing more laundry. Tuesday is one of my normal laundry days, but it didn’t HAVE to be done. So I let it go. And that felt nice.
Since my husband was in charge of pack meeting and my 9 year old was getting an award that I had to be there for, we decided to skip basketball. We usually have to “divide and conquer” when we have two games on one night in two different locations. I decided it wasn’t worth trying. I had forget to get a snack while at the grocery store, but I had bought a big bag of cutie oranges. So my daughter drew some smiley faces and wrote some cute messages on the oranges and we dropped them off a the game, but didn’t stay.
I’ll admit it right now – that I totally failed at the lesson and made to big of a list.
I did NOT get everything done.
But I did have to look at my list and figure out what was most important that day. Groceries. Running. Story time. My church service. (I learned a long time ago, if I put my church service activities first than everything else seems to work out). Helping with homework. Pack Meeting. Those were things that I gave priority. I set my blog on scheduled posts and called it good. And I let everything else fly. I still got a few more things done on my list. But some I did not.
Hopefully I have learned my lesson. But if I know myself, I’ll probably make a long to-do list many more times again. But I can try. And I think being aware of this is a HUGE step.
Today’s a new day and I am trying harder today to make a shorter to-do list and giving priority where priority is due.
Are you taking the Make Over Your Morning Course too? How are you dong?
Are you a list maker? What do you do when your to-do list is overwhelming and long?
Despite my failed attempt to make a shorter to-do list, I still recommend the course. I am still working at becoming better. You can find out more about the course and even get your first day free by signing up here.
