The Sections Need Sections!

A while back, I naively posted about my To-Do List.  Well, this has become a joke since the holidays came and went.  I am so far behind, I don't even know where to start.  Aside from joyously and caringly nurturing my two angels of light and bliss (by which I mean setting them up in front of Word World while I write out this blog), I have about a million side projects going, all with deadlines, as I try to prove my own worth to myself.  Plus, I have to clean this house.

This is a recipe for disaster.

When I look at a list of 30 plus things, I roll up into a ball and cry instead of choosing one of them to tackle.  It's just too much, and I'm too overwhelmed.

The past few weeks, I have been sectioning my day in addition to the list.  So that in the mornings, I catch up on important emails and immediate phone calls, make and feed everyone breakfast and clean the kitchen.  Everyday.  Around 10:30 a.m. I start writing this blog and work on blog related things.

Then I take my kids out.  Anywhere, it doesn't matter what we do, as long as we do something.  Once we've done that (I try to include running errands in our day, here), I put them down for a nap.

Nap time, I've decided, is cleaning time.  I will let no other projects bother me, and I will only clean.  I've managed so far to get my kitchen, dining room, porch and laundry room in tip-top shape.  I start each nap time by doing maintenance cleaning on those rooms, then deep clean the next on the list.

Once the babies wake up, I'm tied up for the rest of the day, either fixing things they destroy, feeding them, or playing with them.  When their dad gets home, it's time to make and eat dinner.  Then we put them to bed.  After bedtime, I do no cleaning.  I only work on deadlined projects, like writing articles, clearing emails, and editing manuscripts.

The next day, I start again, slowly chipping away at this housework and freelance work.  I'm feeling pretty good about it so far.

Really, though, the key thing to remember, is that it is not the chores that overwhelm us.  We overwhelm ourselves.  Keep in mind that nothing is going to explode because you didn't get to wash the kitchen floor today.  That's something you can do tomorrow.  If you feel less stressed out about all the chores you have to do, and you can concentrate on just getting the one thing done at a time, I've found more things actually get done, and I don't feel as cranky, either.

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