Anybody else struggle with this? We have a million things to do and several different categories to get things done in. Whether it be business to family life, or getting ready for a new baby or trying to get an education. You sit and wonder, "Did I over book myself? Or "Am I just not doing well with time management?"
I just wanted to take some time to discuss how this looks, feels, and maybe some possible solutions that have either worked for me or at least been suggested over time.
I would loveeee to hear back from you on suggestions or things that you have done that have worked well for you, too!
So the feeling of this for me is total overwhelm, and guilt. I start to beat myself up about not being "on top of things" as I should be. I then start to scramble to get my crap together, sometimes last minute by a deadline, and the work or project at hand was pumped out so quickly, that I feel bad for the quality that it was because I ran out of time to do as good of a job with the time I had left.
To come back to the questions of whether I have overbooked myself or if I am just managing my time poorly, the best way I have been able to find an answer for this is to make a list. If you know me, you know I am a list maker and always will be even if the list is the ONLY thing I get done that day. :D
This list for me would be a list of everything I needed to get done, by category. Why? Because this way I can prioritize the category from things I need to get done vs things I want to get done. I.e. Work stuff, family stuff, home stuff, a craft.... etc. I think sometimes we pick the craft because it will be easy and fun, and distract us from the things that are overwhelming and pressing.... but then this makes things that much worse. At this point we have now used this time for something that is not helpful and instead of picking the priority that will later stress us out, and let ourselves or others down in the process.
If the list of things I need to get done is manageable, as long as I set time aside to do these things, then I know I am not over booking... I am just simply not placing these things as a priority. I then look at this list of things I need and want to get done, and schedule it into my planner. This way I am being intentional with my time, and creating the time to do these things... Let's call it "Making an appointment with ourselves." We schedule in, meeting the CPA, and taking care of work stuff, but we also schedule in that flower pressing project we want to work on so we are making sure to find balance and scheduling things in that we also enjoy.
I am not sure if you have ever heard the quote, "Failing to plan, is planning to fail." I get it, to do list, planners, notes, all of the things are so overwhelming in itself... but not managing your time well, and being pressed and stressed all of the time is only sustainable for so long.
Some days in your planner, you may have to draw an arrow through the task to the next day, or you may not get everything done you wanted. This is a great time to practice grace with yourself.
This is just something I have struggled with and I find these solutions to be of most help, and what I suggest to my gal pals when they are feeling the same way.
Let me know what works for you! I know this is a challenge many of us face, especially women as we are expected to play so many roles, and wear so many hats.
XOXO,
Mak