Seven things to do when you have too much to do.
Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us, and it truly can be the most wonderful time of the year. But how I feel when I get too busy… is not so wonderful. I go from excited and hopeful to irritable and overwhelmed. Then I find myself feeling paralyzed and directionless. I'm curious if you feel this way sometimes.
If so…
I've put together a list of ways to break that cycle and be victorious over all the things, so the season can be as wonderful and magical as it should.
Stop the scrolling. You know it's a distraction and a big time suck! Just for the duration of the task at hand, try turning your ringer off or the whole phone off. I put mine on do not disturb, stick it in the other room and wear my Apple watch. Whatever it takes. You can scroll later; I promise.
Make a list. Does anyone make lists anymore? I do. My kids roll their eyes when I offer this advice, but for me, it's essential. Making a list empowers me, gives me a game plan, and gets my thoughts out of my head and onto paper where I can see them and often realize it's not as bad as I thought. I've gone so far as to start a bullet journal. It's a whole organizational lifestyle, and I’m here for it! Here's my favorite one to use. But your list can be on a simple piece of paper or even on your phone if you can handle that temptation.
Pray over it. I love to take my daily, weekly even monthly schedule and submit it to the Lord. “What's important to you, God? Please help me here, God.” He may ask me to take something off, add something I forgot, or even send someone to help me. It's amazing how smoothly things go when I commit them to prayer. I kid you not… everything falls into place when you pray!
Psalm 37:5- Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.
Philippians 4:13- I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
Eat the Frog. Mark Twain once said, “If you have to eat a live frog, do it first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day.”. All the productivity experts ( including my husband) will tell you this…
That thing that you don't want to do?
DO IT FIRST.
That chore, that workout, that phone call, that email… Cross it off right off the bat!
It'll feel so good that the rest will be a cakewalk!
Eat the frog!
Get a good playlist. I will admit I'm bad at this, and I steal from others and listen to basic FM radio, but here is what currently motivates me:
80’s Dance Party Essentials For working out.
80’s Rock Essentials For eating the frog. ( Nothing says “Get ‘er Done, like Def Leppard.)
Elevation Worship For divine inspiration.
Fall In Jazz For cooking dinner.
I'd love to know your favorite playlists so I can steal them!
Grab a partner. Run errands with a friend, spouse, or kiddo. Brainstorm and collaborate with a coworker over coffee and muffins. Two are always better than one. Or if you're listening to my 80’s playlist….”It takes two to make a thing go right….”
Reward yourself. Before I start my to-do list, I decide what I will reward myself with when I'm done. I'll watch that show, go to Target, or take a bubble bath. The incentive keeps me going, and the treat is that much sweeter! Self-care is so important during busy seasons of life. Go ahead, pick up that phone, run that bubble bath and pat yourself on the back. You did hard stuff! You deserve it!
Happy Holiday season, friends. I hope to see you around. Don't get paralyzed. Tackle those lists with God. ( and a friend by your side.)
You can do this!
We can do this!
Need some extra encouragement and support?