I have to admit, I have a daily checklist for everything. It practically looks like this:
- Wake Up + Get Ready + Breakfast 7-9
- Email (work from home) 9-10
- Blog 10-11
- Dance Class 11-12:30
- Lunch 12:30-1:30
- Grocery Store 1:30-2:30
- Work in office (coach) 3-6
- Laundry + cook + prep lunches 6-7
- Dinner 7-8
- Walk with Family 8-9
- Bedtime wind-down activities 9-10
- Sleep 10-11
Was everything checked off today? Do I have roll-over items? Is this possible to complete the whole lot? Who knows.
But life can be crazy and unorganized without a checklist of the many items I need to do in 1 day. Having a checklist has helped me to prioritize what’s important to me such as family, career, and my health, all in 1 day. This balancing act of a life can be crazy and hectic. However, when I lay it out in a calendar and provide myself with ample time to do each action item. (I’m not going to fool myself into thinking I’m superwoman and travel at the speed of light and complete something in mere minutes. Ugh Ugh). I repeat, I’m going to allot myself the necessary time to complete the task. These jobs get done. I feel accomplished. And I make sure that the most important items happen.
My recommendations to you:
- Make a daily checklist
I make mine the night before so that I can go to bed in a rested, peace-of-mind state so that I’m not dwelling on things that need to be done tomorrow and busying up my brain stressing about that stuff. I am a huge dweller, you know.
- Put in specific times for each action item.
This way you can realistically determine what needs to get done and how to incorporate items that are important to you (such as exercise and self-care along with family time)
- Make sure the most important items are listed (even if they seem weird)
Important items to me are family time, exercise, eating, and food prep. What are your important items? Start your checklist today and you’ll feel more in control and accomplished.
By Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN