I wake up every Monday morning a little anxious.
Ok if we are being real here, I wake up Monday mornings more than a little anxious. Mondays for me can feel a little overwhelming with reviewing all I have to get done for the week. It starts really on Sunday evenings. Do you ever feel that way? I always said we need 4 day work weeks.
As mothers (and fathers) sometimes it feels overwhelming to get every need met for our families.
You may feel that you can't get it all done.
You may struggle to remain calm as you think of all the skills you need to help your kids with.
You may struggle with all the responsibilities you have to keep our family together.
You may struggle to balance your work and family life.
You may struggle to prioritize what's most important.
As we get closer to summer and may feel anxious about what that different schedule will look like, let's take a few minutes to see how we can plan for this better. I have worked (and am still working) on this for years. I have come up with strategies I use to help me weekly get it all done. I hope these can help you too.
- Pray- Take some time to spend with God asking for guidance and direction. Spending quiet time just listening for God to speak is the very best thing you can do. Sometimes it is just that sit and listen- not saying a word.
- Prioritize- This is one of the key factors in getting it all done. Make sure you put the most critical tasks first and then others to follow. Sometimes this can be challenging for me because I get sidetracked. I have my list prioritized but I get distracted. The biggest thing you can do is to understand what are the priorities. Once you get that right then you can work from there.
- Create a Task List- This will come next. Once you prioritize then you create a list of your priorities. Then one by one tackling each one. This list can change hourly sometimes and that is ok. There is something about crossing off things that motivates me for sure. I feel accomplished. I feel I am making progress. This helps me to feel calmer and equipped to handle no matter what comes my way.
- Delegate Tasks to Others- God encourages us to lean on others, especially Him. He wants us to use all our resources to get the job done. I am a person that wants to do it all and actually is hard for me to ask for help. I have learned the hard way that I cannot do anything actually on my own. I am talking about my job and my family life. When we ask for help from others it can be a win/win situation. You are helping to lessen the burden of all you have to do and are grateful and then the other person gets to serve and help you.
- Take One Day at a Time- I am sure you have heard this phrase before but I even adjust to say "one minute at a time". When you have a list, you have prioritized, you have delegated but something just slams in your lap then what?! You breathe, stop and pause, and then do these steps again. It is a constant process and it takes practice to use these steps and not freak out automatically when things get out of control.
So when summer gets closer and you are not sure what to do, print this page to remind yourself what steps you need to put in place to help you feel calm and be able to get it all done.
I pray that today is a new day for you to change how you are "worrying" and feeling "anxious." I pray that you use God's Word along with these steps to help your Mondays be better. God doesn't want us anxious. He wants us to rely and trust in Him. Will you rely on Him more today and truly give him control? Will you use these steps to keep you accountable and focused on Him? You can start today.
Blessings,
Patty Myers
