Do you feel like you are running around in circles, completing one task after the next only to find there are 20 chores you have not done yet? I am not even talking about the constants such as grocery shopping, returns, doctor appointments, clients, and carpool!
If you are tired of fighting this endless battle, stop fighting and start winning. I have come to the realization that I will ALWAYS be able to think of something else that needs to be done-even after completing my long to-do list!
Tired of my endless pursuit of checking off my to-do list and interested in silencing my mental clutter, I made a conscious decision to give up the frustrating goal of "getting it ALL done" and instead have regular achievable goals that fit into my larger life path.
Here is what worked for me:
1. Visualize and vocalize what you want your life to look like. Take a moment and see yourself as way you want to look. Do you want to seem calmer, more physically fit? How about your home? What do you want your home to look like? Your schedule. Take time to answer these questions.
2. Analyze what you need to do to achieve your visualizations and dreams. Do you need to hire an interior decorator? Do you need to get rid of clutter? Would you like to shed 10 pounds?
3. Strategize with lists. "Oh, no- not more lists!," you may be thinking. Keep several different lists that implement the conclusions you made in #2-Analyze. In Let Go of Clutter, Harriet Schechter recommends keeping a master list, step-by-step lists (breaking down the larger projects on your master list), maintenance checklists for things needing to be done on a continual basis, a next life list- giving yourself permission for things you will not get around to, information lists with phone numbers, addresses, and etc., pro and con lists, grievance lists to free yourself from the injuries and injustices you've had to suffer, and emergency lists- for when you feel SO stressed and overwhelmed and need to get it down on paper.
4. Realize though that you cannot do everything. Nor do you want to! Now that you have a clear mental picture of how you want your life to look like, a LOT of the to-dos on your list may not do anything to further your goals in which case you want to delay, delete, delegate or diminish those tasks.
5. Internalize what you have learned today. Keep that clear picture of how you see yourself living optimally and go at it.
When you feel life's demands all over again, stop, breathe, and start from the beginning.
Rebekah Slatkin is a professional organizer dedicated to getting people organized through hands-on decluttering sessions, teleconferencing, coaching, and her website Best Organizing Products Superstore. Visit http://www.best-organizing-products-superstore.com to subscribe to Organewz, her ezine dedicated to organized living and get organizing tips and much more, free.