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As a mom of 7 kids, life can be overwhelming. Throw in homeschooling, homesteading, and the day to days of caring for our house and property with little kids, life can feel crippling. How is someone supposed to do it all??
Life in general whether you homestead or not can be overwhelming. There never seems to be enough time in a day.
Be Intentional
This one is super important for me to remember. If I am not intentional about my days, I find myself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things that need to be done or projects that have to get done. Sometimes, it’s all I can do to get food on the table and that is ok.
How do I get intentional???
I write myself a to-do list. I hated lists growing up and even as a young adult. I couldn’t ever get everything on the list done, but I realized, as I got older, the list doesn’t have to all get done. It is simply a tool to keep me on track. I try to make several lists. One list is the things I would like to accomplish during that day and another is what I would like to accomplish during that week. I will also have a list of things that need to get done at some point in the near future.
Be realistic
I have made lists of what I want to accomplish in the day and then only got one thing done on the list. It seemed doable when I was writing the list down, but not so doable when it actually came to getting it done. It is better to have a list you get done than to have a list that is too ambitious and leaves you disappointed at the end of the day, in my opinion. You can always add more things to your daily list, if you get it all done. I often do not put the mundane, daily tasks on the list. For instance, breakfast, dishes, dinner, etc. But sometimes, when my week hasn’t been going well, I will simply write out those mundane tasks so I get something done, and some semblance of order can return. I have days where my list simply reads, get dishes done, clean the counter, start laundry, and I will leave it at that. Find what will work for you.
Starting out or Resetting
I will try to add 1 or 2 things to my daily list that aren’t daily tasks. For instance, clean off the TV stand or organize the book shelf, get fresh bedding in the chicken coop or make sure the pool water is balanced right. These aren’t day to day activities but they are things that need to get done.
I started this way when I first got into homesteading. It kept me on top of all the things I was trying to do. Sometimes I need a reset because there is so much to do that I become overwhelmed and am not getting anything done, or I let the house get out of hand and I need to take the time to focus on the house for a moment. Either way, coming back to simple daily activities plus 1 extra thing has really helped me to refocus, get things done, and keep things a little less stressful.
Do I do this perfectly?? Goodness no!! My house is often a mess, the dishes are piled in the sink. I have flour from a couple days ago on the counter and I forgot to remind the kids to clear the table and vacuum the floors. Is what it is. I can only do my best during the day, and if that wasn’t good enough for me, I know to focus a bit more tomorrow to get it done. There are good days and bad days, but that is ok. Life isn’t all about getting it done to your standards. It’s about living for Christ. Diligently working day after day will be rewarded by things being accomplished, not perfectly, but good enough.