Saturday, August 11, 2007

Smart Habit Saturday

So here we are again. If you read my post yesterday, you would know things haven't been going so well here. If you didn't read my post yesterday, let me tell you. Things haven't been going so well here.

What I need to start doing is simplifying, just like Lara talked about today. I need to stop trying to do everything perfectly and just start doing what I can. It does none of us any good for me to be constantly stressed out and unhappy. No matter how much I want to, I cannot fit everything into one day. My family needs to start coming first and everything else is secondary.

Here's a little list I compiled of things that will not cause the end of my existence:

  1. Unmade beds
  2. Unfolded laundry
  3. Dirty floors
  4. Dusty shelves
  5. Crusty counters
  6. Unwashed dishes
  7. Checking e-mail only once a day
  8. Excercising
  9. Not blogging (GASP!)
  10. Eliminating non-essentials from my to-do list

So with this list in mind, I am going back to square one this week. I will not be taking on any new habits. I need to really work on the things I already have, and I need to learn to pare down and not obsess when I haven't done everything on my list, let alone not done them perfectly.

Check out Lara's site for other's habits!

Here are my other habits/goals for 2007:
Limit kids TV time - struggling with
11:30 bedtime - pretty good
Emma's bedtime routine - struggling with
Work before computer time - struggling with
8K a Day - struggling with
R-E-S-P-E-C-T - struggling with
Food Journal and Scrounging - struggling with
Limit personal computer time - struggling with
1 on 1 kids time - struggling with

7 reviews:

tammi said...

I feel for you. I feel like I'm stuck in my struggle to do what I know I SHOULD be doing rather than doing what I WANT to do. And that struggle becomes even more pronounced when we're in an emotional slump. It's hard to focus on anything then. Again, you're in my prayers.

I never use the King James version of the Bible anymore, but one phrase still always comes to mind: "And it came to pass..."

Anonymous said...

I know it's hard sometimes to get everything done. Here's to things looking up!!

Amanda said...

I know, I have so many things that I try to do everyday, and blog, and check my email a zillion times a day, and do things with the kids, get out of the house, plus sewing , and crafts, seems we need more hours in a day, but if things don't get done then that's ok, as long as family comes first

keep up your habits, your doing good

Rebecca said...

Amen! Preach it mama! The world does not stop if we don't do every little thing each day. Realizing that and adjusting your priorities is a great step. Even though things like going to the gym may be challenging you should still try to go if it's something you all enjoy, plus working off some of that stress may be helpful. I hope you have a great week this week even if you don't check one item off of your list!

Christine - Tutorial Addict :) said...

It seems so hard sometimes to find a balance between what everyone we take care of needs to be done and what makes us happy individually. I think the fact that we TRY speaks volumes. We all struggle, and sometimes we have bad weeks, sometimes we have good. To be totally lame, this cliche always pops into my mind "This too shall pass" - eventually it HAS to, right? Here's hoping you have a great and SMART week!

Robin said...

Balance is so hard to achieve. I wish you well.

Have a great week!

Anonymous said...

I just found your blog. It is so funny that the first thing that came to my mind when I read this, I have already read twice now in the comments! My husband and I were married 8 years before we had our son and I went through the baby blues after I had him. I remember saying to myself so much, "This too shall pass". Like I said, I just found your blog this evening and don't know what ages your two kids are, but I do know this time will go by so fast. What also helped me was trying to visualize past the moment. Try to think about their future and what did I want them to remember about their childhood. I wanted to work towards that goal.

Maybe make a to-do list and only put two things on it. That way you know you will accomplish those and can feel like you are achieving something. (Even if those two things are going to the gym and taking a nap! :-) I think the exercise will really help you to feel better all around, physically and mentally, so I think you should make that a priority each day.....whether the kids are fussing and fighting or not!

My son was also one of those (I can't complain....I made him that way!) who felt he had to have a playmate and if one of us didn't play with him he didn't know what to do. We had to work on that in little steps. We would start with a small amount of time that he was to play by himself, whether he liked it or not. We would then increase the time a little. It eventually worked. I don't think he liked it at the beginning, but we felt it was really important for everyone in our family for him to work on this.

I hope something here helps. I also hope things start looking up for you!