By Dianne McKim, C.A.C.L.C.
I remember when I was a single mom, there were some days I just struggled to get it all done. With young children, a full time job, preparing dinner, doing or reviewing homework, extracurricular activities, getting them ready for bed and anything else that came up, I was exhausted and most of the time living on high stress mode. After they went to bed was the time for me to catch up on my things like paying bills, managing the budget, preparing a grocery list, cleaning up the house and so on.
Through those 14+ years, I learned how to help myself accomplish the most important things. Here are 3 that you can start using today.
1. Shift your mindset - know that everything does not have to get finished!
That was huge for me. I had to learn to give myself a break and let some things go. I was very much a perfectionist and had to retrain myself to really look at what was most important and then handle those things first. Other things may not get done right away and that is ok. One example, for Christmas, I stopped mailing Christmas cards to everyone. It was a huge expense and took a lot of time. So, I had to let that one go. And guess what, I didn’t lose any friends or family because I didn’t send them a card! A lesson learned for me!
2. Make compromises. For instance, one thing I did in realizing I could not do it all, I hired someone to mow the lawn in the summer. I took care of the weeding and trimming. Since I couldn’t afford all the lawn maintenance to be handled by someone else, I allowed that compromise.
3. Make lists. For me that was a big one. Trying to remember everything that I needed to do became overwhelming and was exhausting. As I learned to write down in a list the things I needed to do, it became easier to get them done. I was no longer spending energy on trying to remember.
I hope these three suggestions help you make a few changes that will add time to your day, remove stress from your life and bring more peace to you. Let me know how you’re doing. Drop a comment here.