I’m definitely an over-doer when it comes to planning my to-do lists. I generally put too many things on my list, set too many goals, and I want to accomplish ALL the things and do them on my own timeline. When life piles so many to-do’s onto our ever-growing lists, we feel as moms that we have to tackle them all at the same time and give 100% in everything. Lightening the load is all about removing things from our self-made to-do lists, recognizing that we can't do it alone, and effectively asking for help.
Sometimes when we really take a look at that self-made list, we get so caught up in the act of doing and finishing. We barely realize that we really haven’t gotten ahold of the most important thing-- living.
That’s why it’s important to reflect every now and then. Really take a look at what’s on our plate and answer some hard questions. These are some that help me prioritize.
How many to-do’s have I removed from my list? (Not things I’ve completed, but what I’ve actually removed)
Who decided that those items should go on the list?
Are they really a priority right now?
Is there anything that I can ask someone else to do?
Is there anything I can put off doing for now?
The busy work of being still
Sometimes as moms we focus so much on the act of doing and forget the act of just being. We get out of our routines, and into our lists.
Kids activities. School work. Taking care of the house. Work duties. Keeping up with friends. Following up with family members. Drinking our water and taking our vitamins.
We forget what matters most. Being still and connecting.
Being with others.
Sharing.
Loving each other.
As you make time for others, don’t forget to schedule some time in there for yourself.
Some questions to ask yourself when evaluating that list…
Is this actually urgent, or am I making this activity urgent?
Is there someone I can get help from on this?
Who on my support team can has the skills to do this?
How many hours do I actually want to spend doing this activity?
Can this be put off for another time?
How can I turn this activity into something my children can help with (i.e. age-appropriate chores)?
Sometimes we make our to-do list in our heads, and crowd our thoughts with so many things going on. Take a few minutes and actually write out your to-do list. Write down everything that comes to mind. Then number them in order of priority, with the first second and third items being the most important to do today or tomorrow.
Look for any patterns. What comes up for you? Are there things that can be grouped together and done at once? Is there anything that you realized isn’t a priority at all, but more of a “nice-to-have”? Did you schedule time for your self-care? No? Well make that a priority too, sis.
Take things off your list and focus on being. Fill your cup back up with your self-care routine.
Develop the habit
In order to really value the small things, they have to be first taken away. Let me explain…
God knows our hearts. He knows our desires. But most importantly he knows what we need.
Even if we focus on living in the fruit the spirit by producing fruit, we may not develop the right habits or the right attitude that come along when we get those fruits.
So to develop that skill or trait, He knows that we need to stretch and grow first. So in life when we come up against a significant struggle or hard situation, God is using it as a learning opportunity to grow us. Almost like a pop quiz, right?
We may lose a friend. A relationship. A job opportunity. Maybe something we needed or wanted to help make our lives easier.
Whatever it was, God was trying to make us pay attention. He was telling us that there is a lesson that he is preparing us for.
On my journey of finding my own purpose, I’ve realized that God removes people from my life very often. Sometimes they get replaced by another person or opportunity. Other times I end up having more time to focus on other things. But, after waiting and waiting and waiting, He eventually replaces people with other people that I need in my life. And sometimes he returns the same person I lost at first after I’ve learned the hard lesson I needed in order to grow.
Honestly, it’s very hard to go through these cycles because losing touch with people is hard, but it happens for a reason. Sometimes we grow apart as people, one of us move away from each other and loose contact, or job opportunities put us in different paths of our lives. But after my season of growing and stretching, I realize that there was a lesson I wasn’t learning that God needed me to learn.
So when God takes something away or we start taking things off of our to-do lists, pull closer to Him. Study his word. Listen closely, then he’ll reveal to you what you needed to learn. Or maybe that thing He removed was serving as a distraction from another lesson that God was trying to teach you. That’s why it’s so important to listen to Him and remove things that are not meant for us.
Don’t let extra things fill up your plate that aren’t necessary. Make an intentional spot for time with Jesus on that plate.
So momma, is there something that God is calling you to take off your plate?
Love,
Momma Naturalista
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