It’s easy to put high expectations on ourselves, then feel frustrated when we can’t keep up. If you’re tired of feeling like you’ve got too much to do and you’re not doing enough, try this hack to help you focus on what you do, rather than on what you don’t. Free printable to help you get started!
As women, we tend to put a LOT of expectations on ourselves:
- How clean we keep our house.
- What we look like.
- How much money we spend or save.
- The type of foods we cook and eat.
- How much time we spend with friends, family, our spouse, our kids.
- The goals we achieve.
- How much we put-on and cross-off our to-do list in a day.
It is exhausting! I mean, just reading that list makes me exhausted. There’s too much to do!
And the reality is, it’s just not possible to do it all. And that’s okay. Besides, I think we do a lot more than we give ourselves credit for.
You Do So Much Good
Think about it: how many things do you do on any given day that never make it to a to-do list?
Things like cuddling a hurt kid, calling a friend, wiping kitchen counters, picking up toys, making the 42nd snack of the day for your kids ,changing a diaper, kissing your spouse after work, responding to an email from your kid’s teacher, dropping kids off at soccer practice, taking a shower.
There are so many things we do on any given day that we don’t stop and think about, but that doesn’t make them any less important.
Focus on What You Do, Not On What You Don’t
When I feel myself start to go down the rabbit hole of not feeling like I’ve done enough, I like to flip my thought process and focus on what I DID rather than what I didn’t get to.
I think through every single thing I did, no matter how small our insignificant it seems, and DANG! I can fit a lot into a day!
Even those days where I get to the end of the day and look at my completely unchecked to-do list and wonder, “what did I do all day?” Even on those days, I did plenty of good.
Ladies, we’ve got to start giving ourselves credit for all the little things we do, instead of beating ourselves up for all the things we don’t get to!
It’s okay to leave the dishes in the sink. It’s okay to skip a workout. It’s okay if the project we really wanted to get done this weekend takes us another 3 weeks. I promise, it’s going to be okay!
Challenge Your Brain
So the next time you feel like you’re not doing enough—challenge your brain.
Instead of looking at your to-do list and getting frustrated with how little you feel like you got done, list down all the little things you did do.
Sometimes those little things are the most important of all.
If you want something to help on those days you need a little reminder of all the things you got done, here’s a free printable you can download. Fill out the form below to get your copy!
What are some of the things you do that you rarely (if ever) stop to give yourself credit for?
Britney is a wife and mom with a passion for helping other women see the good inside of them. She loves podcasts, polka dots, and dancing around the kitchen with her family.