During the late morning hours yesterday, I made a homemade Lemon Tart. I don't usually make these because it's very time consuming, but it's one of Lisa's favorite desserts. I wanted to surprise her because she totally deserves it. I also needed a little distraction.
At the time, I had a ton of online work that I want and need to do in addition to housework and dinner prep. Nothing was really getting done. I didn't feel creative or motivated to tackle work stuff. My brain was spinning like a hamster wheel, but the output was nil. I had no ambition of tackling the items in the Bodacious DIY Dog Mom Workshop that I wanted to finish up.
It was also nearing the kid's snack time.
When I grabbed their homemade dog treats out of the refrigerator, I noticed a few juicy lemons that I needed to use.
I gave the kids their snacks. Took them out. Enjoyed lots of playtime with them.
Then.
I got started on the Lemon Tart for Lisa.
During the process of making the Lemon Tart, from start to finish, I didn't have music on.
Normally when I cook or bake, I do. And, I dance in the kitchen and throughout the house because...all hardwood floors.
With no distraction from music and displaying my best dance moves, I had lots of time to think and I really needed to do that.
I needed to take a few steps back and examine why I was drawing blanks and getting frustrated and questioning my career path.
Making a Lemon Tart is time consuming so I had quite a bit of time to think.
By the time the Lemon Tart was cooled and ready to be kissed with powdered sugar, I had figured it out.
I. Was. Overwhelmed.
Most of the time when I get overwhelmed, I freeze up.
For me, being overwhelmed is paralyzing.
I find myself getting kind of stuck.
I need to stop that.
But how?
There is nothing I can do right now to get everything done and where I want it to be by the end of the day. I don't have a pair of ruby red heels to click 3 times and poof!
What I need to do is separate things into 3 categories.
The first category is the things I need to do every single day. That includes, but is not limited to taking care of Lisa, our kids, and myself, housework, meal prep, writing a blog column, adding to my social media streams, making strides toward my goals, generating conversations, and making sure the needs and wants of our family are being met.
The second category is things that I need to work on so I can get to where I want to be with my career by the end of this year. That would include, but is not limited to updating my social media streams, learning how to use my new camera and taking lots of photos, increasing my traffic, monetizing this blog, creating new pieces in the Bodacious DIY Dog Mom Project Workshop to sell, marketing and branding myself, and finding online communities to participate in.
Over the past 6 months, Lisa has made sure that I am updated with new electronics and equipment and everything between. I have no excuse to not be doing any of the above.
The third and final category are projects that we want to get done inside and outside of our home. There are rooms and hallways that we want to paint. Our kitchen counter needs an update. We want to visit some yard sales this Summer and Fall to grab pieces to restore. Lisa wants to build a lot of pieces in her woodshop. We'd like to built a small front porch. As I always say, the list will go on.
I think of all this stuff day after day after day.
That's when I get overwhelmed.
That needs to stop.
The tasks I need to do every single day need to get done and they do. It doesn't matter if I'm sick or injured or whatever. They get done.
The items in the second category will be a work in progress. It's kind of like improving your health. If you want to lose 100 pounds, it's not going to happen immediately after a single workout or eating a single salad. You have to work for it every day.
The third category...
It will all get done one project at a time.
Will it be easy adhering to this attitude and examining the newfound categories when I get overwhelmed?
Nope.
Why?
Because I think getting overwhelmed with everything and not having those categories is a habit.
Habits are hard to break.
It's the last day of June. Although I am not a fan of beginning anything on the first day of the month or the new year or on a Monday, well...
July 1st it is.
Tomorrow.
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