One Small Thing

In the chaos of our everyday life, it's easy to become overwhelmed. All the to-dos that we burden ourselves with can create extremely stressful days and set us up for failure. Most of the time the expectations are unrealistic.

Between work, children, and daily chores we're lucky if we can just get through the day. Then we beat ourselves up for all the extra things we don't get to. As if that one more thing will change the course of our life.

I think as spring approaches it becomes more stressful as we think of the typical "spring cleaning" that comes to mind. The windows that need washing after a long winter, curtains that are dusty due to the heat blowing through the air, and all the other projects we said we would do when spring arrived.

I wonder at times why we pressure ourselves in this way; what kind of life do we want to live? We can spend all our time worrying about the housework and projects we haven't finished, or we can enjoy life. We can accomplish things each day without building our lives around all the to-dos.

I have always been one who felt the need to make sure every household chore was done; that I couldn't end a day unless they were. Like most people I had a list of the extra projects that I wanted to accomplish and couldn't rest unless I was checking off the boxes as they were done. This is a great way to feel overwhelmed and to ensure you feel like a failure.

As the years have gone by, I have tried to break this habit and learn to take life a bit less seriously. The daily chores and extra projects will get done, but not on such a rigid schedule, and without beating myself up for not getting them all done. Some of the tips that have helped:

• Don't make a list of everything you want to complete; instead write things down as they are completed. Seeing what is done makes for a much brighter outlook.
• Take it one thing at a time. If you look at everything before you it's hard to move forward.
• You can't do it all in one day. Cut yourself some slack; you are not a super human.
• Don't plan all your chores. If you happen to open a closet and see it needs organization, then do that one thing for the day. Sometimes the unplanned things you do are a bigger accomplishment. 
• Occasionally you need to take a day off. If something needs cleaning today, then it will still need cleaning tomorrow. Doing it tomorrow will not make your world come crashing down today.

Accomplishing one small thing can be just as rewarding as trying to do several things. In doing that one small thing we can feel successful and less stressed, and maybe take time for enjoyment. Giving ourselves permission to enjoy life is one of the hardest things to do at times, but one of the most important for us and our families.