Working Moms and Household Projects: What To-Do

I’ve always been the kind of person who likes–ok loves — to make lists. I’ll get out my prettiest pens, my loveliest highlighters and set out a list that needs to be achieved by the end of the week or–if I’m feeling especially motivated–the end of the day. Typically, I’m able to get through my main work commitments with this kind of list. But the stuff that needs to get done after hours? That’s a whole other story.

I have dreams. Big dreams. I dream of the day my daughter and I stand side by side and organize her closet. I dream of having a refrigerator without a billion half-filled bottles of condiments from 2003. I dream of bathroom drawers that you open and find clean and organized, no old band-aids or dripping toothpaste in sight. Yes, I am 45 and I still have these big dreams.

But I also have the reality.

I would organize daughter’s closet with her but we are already late to ice skating. I would clean the refrigerator but I have some emails to get through tonight. OK, that’s a lie. I want to watch Scandal. I’d clean the bathroom drawers but the puppy just pooped all over the dining room (again). So that’s about all the gross I can take for the day.

But hey there’s always the weekend. Right. I’ll do all these things between (and this is a true account of this coming weekend’s plans): one family party, three baseball games, one umpire gig, three 2 ½ hour ice skating shows, one baseball pictures session, one fall soccer registration, one baseball practice, and one ice skating practice. And a partridge in a pear tree.

So what is the solution? How can the satisfaction that a list-loving worker get when faced with the basic unpredictability of family life, where we need to shove hours worth of home upkeep and some basic relaxation into an already crazed work week?

I have a suggestion. Make a new list. It can be no more than three things. And at least two of them have to be (excuse my language) pure bullshit.

For example, here is my list for this week

1. Catch up on Scandal
2. Throw out old condiments
3. Empty dishwasher

So, of course, I can easy do number one. And number three has to get done, so it will. And maybe even my husband will do number three but I will still get to highlight it off the list as early as Monday! And number two, well, I did it right before writing this. I was a whirling dervish in the kitchen. I even dumped out old stuff from the pantry. So I got to add to my list and immediately highlight it off. Why? Because it was the only thing standing between me and my list completion. So now here I sit. It’s only Wednesday and my list is done. I’m feeling pretty darn smug. There is only one thing left to do. Yes, of course. It’s time to make another list.

Originally published at OptIn, which helps women seeking to get back to into the workforce with counseling, coaching, and connections.Visit http://www.optbackin.com/6-week-course/ for info or email hello@optbackin.com.

Eileen Conway is a mom of three, tech PR pro, and avid writer. You can read more of her musings and fiction athttps://medium.com/@eileenconway.