Why is it that I judge my worth by what has been checked off my ‘to do’ list?

Have you ever noticed how well we can check things off our ‘to do list’ equates to how our day went?

“It was a good day, I got most of the things I wanted to do done.”

Or

“It was a bad day today, I didn’t get anything done I wanted to do.”

 

These lists are not just a schedule that we write out for ourselves: 5am Devotionals, 6:30 walk dog, 6:45 exercise, 7:30 eat breakfast etc…

It’s not that logical. We tie emotions to our tasks that we have on our plates. Tell me this isn’t true. How often do we feel guilt or anxiety that we are not on task? Or, we may even feel that we are not valued because we didn’t get much accomplished.

I remember when I was first married I associated my value on how much I could get done each day. I did not allow time for socializing so I could knock out those high demands that I placed on myself.

One time I ordered 7 tons of rock to landscape our yard while my husband was gone for a week on a hunting trip. I had cut out the sod where I was going to lay the rock. Cut open and washed out the fiberglass bags, I had gotten for the landscaping fabric. Fought with the edging to stay where I had laid it out. Then I shoveled and wheel barreled all the rock so the driveway was cleared when he got home.

At the time my children were small, so I had to stop what I was doing to take or pick them up from school and of course cook and feed them. Forget reading them a bed time story I was doing good to have them bathed, dressed and fed each day. And as crazy as this all seems I still didn’t ‘feel’ that I had accomplished much because I didn’t get to cross off ‘everything’ from the to do list I had made myself.

It wasn’t until I learned that I had value just being Georgia that I began to cut myself slack. Yes, I still find myself writing out ridiculous ‘to do lists’ but will re-read it and adjust to make it breathable (doable).

Honestly I still sometimes over commit to things and need to learn to say ‘no’ but that too is being changed. And just so that you don’t think I am some over achiever, I will mention that I do procrastinate those daunting, undesirable tasks. Like today I need to finish recording 2016 tax deductions and begin packing for our next move.

With this all being said I wanted to share with you some things I am learning. These little steps have helped me to manage my time more sanely and at the same time help me feel good about myself. I hope that you find them helpful.

First and foremost, we need to remember that our value isn’t in us ‘doing’ but our value is found in  us ‘being.’  We are created by God and we have value in that alone. We also need to remember that we are each created for a specific thing. When we look at this first, the pressure of getting things done change. How you ask?  Well, if we remind ourselves this, we will understand that we are on a different journey than the next person, and we won’t feel the need to keep up them.

Second, try to schedule out your weekly chores throughout the week. Most people have jobs that they must work 5-6 days a week, if not every day.  Instead of waiting for Saturday to do our ‘chores’ or ‘tasks’ we can break them down throughout the week. For instant I will clean our three bathrooms (thoroughly) every Monday, do laundry on Thursdays and Saturdays. Ect…

Last, think of only one or two ‘big’ things you want to accomplish for the day and tackle those first (if possible) and all the other stuff is just icing on top of the cake!

Remember you are loved and valued just by being you.

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