Life is an endless to do list
If you’re like me you wake up and think of all the things your have to do that day before you feet touch the ground. It’s second nature. When you complete a task you check it off and move to the next. Hoping you have enough time in the day to do all those things even though you’re already on a tight schedule.
Welcome to the Life of Endless To-Do’s.
I used to get upset with myself when I didn’t complete everything on my list. Feelings of guilt and shame would enter my thoughts. I would base my daily happiness on getting my entire list done for the day. There were days I would pull all nighters just to get a task done because my anxiety wouldn’t let me sleep.
Don’t get me wrong getting a crap load of things done feels awesome! To-Do Lists are good when managed properly. It’s a feeling of accomplishment. It’s as if life is on your side for the day. Feelings of productiveness make you feel like you can take on the world.
That’s the positive side of To-Do’s.
What I came to realize was that I was basing my happiness on a list, and if I didn’t complete that list for the day it caused me to feel depressed and worn out trying to get all those things done. I needed to find a different way of coping so that I wasn’t a constant roller coaster of emotions.
Two things that really helped me:
- WRITE DOWN A WEEKLY LIST: For the business we came up with a To-Do list of things we complete on a daily basis. Attendance emails, Attaboys, Writing Blog Posts, Programming Workouts for the Week, Social Media Posts, Membership Reports, Following up with Intros, Preparing for Class…you get the point. We divided the tasks out so the bigger tasks were spread out evenly throughout the week. Over the last year the list has evolved but it has helped up stay on track and allow us to remove the worry of forgetting things and has allowed us to offer the most professional service that we can provide to our members.
- PRIORITIZE DAILY: What is not written on my work schedule I try to prioritize on a daily basis. As we all know everyone has a different priority based on their value system and moral compass. What is important to note here is that you accomplish those few things that will make all the difference for your peace of mind. If it’s something you can leave off the checklist for the day and sleep at night don’t worry about it. If you have to pay the electric bill today or your electricity will be turned off I would pay the bill and check that sucker off your list.
Leave the rest for tomorrow because the checklist will be there for you when you wake whether you like it or not. It’s part of life. Constantly remind yourself that your worth is not based on a checklist.
You are more than the sum of bullet points.
When I came to accept that fact it gave me a peace of mind that I’d never had before.
