Have you ever looked back on your day and thought to yourself ‘I was busy all day long, why doesn’t it show?” I spent much of 2014 feeling like I was merely surviving. The only thing I had to show at the end of the day was dinner dishes that needed washing and laundry piled high – And half the time I wondered did it need folding or washing…? I also found that even though I was busy, I wasn’t necessarily productive. 2014 was a year of adjustments and changes: Our family grew, my church responsibilities grew, our kids grew, but the hours in my day did not.
I was left feeling drained and discouraged at the end of many, many days. I hated it. I always felt like whatever I did was never enough. I just couldn’t seem to keep up. My kids outnumbered me, me house was a disaster zone and I was overwhelmed. So, I created my “to-done list”. Instead of going to bed each night frustrated and discouraged about all the things I didn’t get done, I wanted to focus on the things I did do. Because, gosh dang it, there was not a single day that I just sat around and did nothing, no matter how much I wanted to. I wanted credit for the things I did get done, even if it was just from myself. My To-Done List is my own little pat on the back. Leaving it tacked on the fridge was a good way for hubby to see too that I was. indeed, trying to keep things to manageable chaos.
I’ve decided to spend 2015 making a dedicated effort to be productive and not just busy. And I’ve since adopted the last lines of Gone With the Wind as my mantra because Miss Scarlett O’Hara was right. “… Tomorrow is another day.” And, most of the time, it’s okay if it waits until tomorrow.
If you would like your own shot of motivation and a visual reminder that you are moving forward, even if it’s slowly, grab your own To-Done List and keep track of your progress, as well as your goals. When you accomplish something, take a few seconds and write it down. You may be surprised at how much you really did do. There’s even a box for you to satisfactorily check off. Laminate your list and use a dry or wet erase marker to write in your accomplishments, then erase and do it again the next day.
