Don't you love it how, when you've got something on your mind, you suddenly see it everywhere? It's like God and the universe and all of humanity just get together and throw not just signs, but big, honking HUGE signs in your path until you act on them.
I've blogged over the past few days about how I've been a little bit... lost lately. A little bit overwhelmed. My husbands says I've been in a funk. I say I've been "creatively (and probably mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) blocked." No matter what you call it, I haven't been me lately. And one thing that helps me, one thing that always helps me, is getting more organized. I KNOW this. I know this well. And yet...
I still fight it, tooth and nail, every time.
No, no, no! Screams my inner child. I am a free spirit! I do not need lists, I do not like schedules, I'm a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl! I work well in the chaos. I will not change my ways. I will not, I will not, I will NOT!
I sort of stubbornly cling to the madness instead of admitting I might need a little help. Now, I'm not a big Dr Phil fan, but for better or worse it's his voice I keep hearing in my head..
"How's that working out for you?"
And it's not. I've been spinning my wheels and getting nowhere. And I'm tired. I admit it. But what to do about it?
And this is where God, the universe, and all of humanity come in. Everything I've seen, read, or listened to the past several days has said the same things: I need to make a to-do list. I need to get back to basics. I need to remember what's important. I need to prioritize. I need to take baby steps. I need to make a to-do list.
A list? Come on. A list will not solve my problems. And ordinarily, when I'm thinking clearly, I would tell you that I LOVE lists. Lists are my friend. Lists make me happy.
But now, really? A list? I've been resisting this for days.
This morning, I signed onto Twitter, and the very first tweet I read was from someone who I find almost irritatingly upbeat, positive, and inspiring. It read:
The easiest way to improve time management is to keep a to-do list.
Oh alright already, I'll make a stinking to-do list!
So this morning, I did. And wouldn't you know, I was more productive today than I've been in weeks and weeks, and I felt like I had way more time to spend with the kids. How is that even possible? But somehow, it is. I thought about what was important. I prioritized. I took baby steps. I got back to basics.
I still pushed the 3 year old on the swings. And I watched Dora. And I played Memory. And I played Uno Moo. And I baked. And I connected with my boys. And I went to bed at a decent hour, on freshly washed sheets. Instead of lamenting that I wished I had more hours, I actually felt like I had gained hours. I felt calmer, I felt less frazzled, I felt less scattered.
All because of a to-do list? Well, no. But it was a step. And sometimes that's all it takes.
"Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
