Too Busy to Remember? Too Frazzled to Achieve? Fix it Fast!
Ding-dong, delivery. Another package dropped on the front porch. As I walked to the door, I marveled at the wonder of technology and being able to order almost anything online, including Christmas gifts. I picked up the box, wondering what parcel had been placed at my door. I eagerly opened the box and saw beautiful giftwrapped items. I instantly had a sinking feeling and realized that I had shipped my dad’s birthday presents to my house in Texas, not his on the east coast!
Frustrated at spending time to pick out perfect presents that would be conveniently be wrapped and delivered to him before his birthday with free shipping only to have them dropped off at my house almost 1,000 miles away, I gave him a call to apologize. These gifts were a joint present from my sister’s family and mine. Of course, he understood and kept telling me we didn’t need to send gifts anyway. I told him I would ship them to him as soon as I had a moment.
We continued to talk about silly things we have been doing. He told me about making a drink and pouring milk all over the counter, not in the glass. I mentioned that my middle son had asked me the week before what he should wear one evening. Confused (and ready to put on my pjs), I said, “For what?” He reminded me that his football banquet was that evening, and we were attending it together. I had completely forgotten.
*This post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through these links allow us to earn a little money and are completely free to you. Thank you for helping us keep the lights on!
Anyone who knows me knows I live by my calendar. I put everything on there! Forgetting things and making mistakes drive me more than a little crazy! My dad and I talked about the many commitments and events going on in our lives and how we need to take a mental moment and re-center. He is always one for good, sound advice and making everything into life-lessons (which I have implemented with my own kids). I have been thinking about ways to stay on top of things and how I can be better.
- Organize. I am the type of person who can’t be productive without getting organized. I think about the scope of what needs to be done and the realistic time frame in which I have to do it. I make mistakes when I skip this crucial step and most often think I can accomplish 75 things in one afternoon.
- Assess. Take stock of what I need to do. This means looking at the big picture. Decorating for Christmas would be a big-picture item.
- Plan. Break down the big-picture item into manageable tasks. Christmas decorating could be divided into taking all holiday décor out from storage, putting up outside house lights, setting up and decorating the tree, putting up garland, and displaying other décor, etc. Seeing these smaller tasks allows us to set a plan in motion to tackle the large task of decorating.
- Delegate. I’ll admit I struggle with this. I’m a control freak (strike one) who hates to inconvenience others (strike two). I am working on this. There is no reason not to get the family involved. Working on projects together strengthens our bonds. When delegating, I must always remember to communicate and/or negotiate my expectations on the effort I expect and the timeframe in which I would like to have the work completed. Having help is a blessing, and I try to remind myself of that when I rearrange the dishwasher after someone else loads it. (I may be a little crazy!)
- Implement. Taking tasks from ideas to completion requires implementation. We actually have to do the things on our list. The sense of accomplishment from completing a task is so rewarding!
- Focus. When things get busy, especially during the holiday season, it is so difficult to focus on the task at hand. We juggle so many things that it seems impossible to do any of them well. Sometimes I have to have a cup of coffee to find the energy. Other times, I feel compelled to bake something to find my motivation. (Weird, I know!) I try to have a plan for the next day and look it over before I go to bed. I feel like my brain does a little subconscious work to help me put things in perspective and prioritize them in order of importance.
Remember that planning, organization, and communicating our expectations will have us crossing off things on our lists in no time! Enjoy the extra time saved with a glass of eggnog and your favorite Christmas movie. Mine is “Christmas Vacation,” and my husband’s is “Home Alone.” (He’s actually watching it now. His laughter is infectious!)
Share your ways to combat the busy! We always love hearing tips from our Creative Contessa Designs Family!
Read more about living your best life on our Motivation Page. Subscribe on our Home Page to receive our weekly newsletter in your inbox with links to menus, articles, and more. Check out our Pinterest Boards for more ways to save time, money, and sanity!
Thank you for your support! We can’t do this without you, so please take a moment to like, share, comment, and pin away!
Share your thoughts!