Money Saving Mom®

Guest post from of Kathleen Ann Thompson

This morning I wrote before I got out of bed, as is my practice. I write whatever is on my mind. Sometimes it’s emotions, sometimes ideas for a blog post or podcast, sometimes it’s working out a problem, and sometimes it’s my ToDo List. Today was a ToDo List day.

I wrote things like:

• Wash sheets and towels
• Clean my desk
• Finish podcast episode
• Complete webinar prep

I had a number of things on that list. What wasn’t on the list was ME.

There was nothing that would feed my heart, soul, mind, or body. There was nothing for fun. No play. Nothing for the pure joy of it. Everything was about productivity.

I had a lot on my plate. I always seem to have a lot going on, so I understand why the ToDo List weighed so heavy on my mind. Yet by not putting myself on my ToDo List, I was robbing not only myself, but also others.

In my opinion, here are three consequences we experience when we neglect to put ourselves on our ToDo List.

1. We become dull. 

The old adage says, “All work and no play leaves Jack a dull boy.” The same is true for Jill.

When we neglect to “sharpen the saw” as Stephen Covey put it, we become dull indeed. Mentally and emotionally exhausted, with the life drained out of us.

Our minds dulled from constant activity and pressure. Creative thinking shuts down, making it more difficult to solve problems.

2. We become stressed.

The beauty of life lies in the spaces, the unexpected, the not doing.

Have you ever noticed that when you take a break, even for a few minutes, and stop pressing so hard, you feel more grateful? More present?

When we neglect to put ourselves on the list, we fail to see the beautiful world around us. We resent people who we love. We feel impatient or anxious.

3. We become ineffective.

In our attempt to be more productive, we work harder. Working harder causes us to press. We use productivity tools in an attempt to buy more time, only to stuff more in. By pressing so hard, we become less productive. Clear thinking turns into auto-pilot. Robotic actions.

When we stop and put ourselves on the list, we are actually thinking as much of others as we are of ourselves. We are in a much better position to help others when we first help ourselves.

Crystal talked about the importance of taking time to do something for ourselves in two recent blog posts.

The first, Five Things You should Do Every Single Day – Even When Life Is Stressful, tells us that we should not only make our bed and clean the kitchen, but also wear something that makes us feel fantastic… and spend 5-15 minutes a day doing something just for us.

The other post, Moms: Why You Need to Give Yourself a Time-out instructs us to set aside some things we “have” to do in order to do something that feeds our soul, makes us come alive.

I know all this. I tell myself (and others) all the time. And yet so often I leave myself off the list. I don’t understand why, but I do.

Sometimes when I do think to put myself on the list, and even put it on the calendar, I blow right through it because I want to accomplish something. Accomplishment feels so much more important.

Do you ever feel like that?

Does the urgent scream at you until you succumb to its siren call? Despite all the facts, why do we continue to act this way?

It’s possible that though we know that taking time for ourselves is important, we somehow don’t believe it with our whole heart. Or we feel unworthy of such time and attention.

I don’t know about you, but so often I jump on the busyness bandwagon first thing in the morning, and never get off. In fact, in one of my recent podcasts, I even shared that I was earning my “Busyness Badge” and somehow, I saw it as a badge of honor. I missed all the warning signs and ended up burned out.

If you’ve been pushing yourself further down your ToDo List or leaving yourself off entirely, here are five actions I thought of to help myself that might help you too.

5 Ideas to Put YOU On Your ToDo List:

1. Pre-print some ToDo lists with an inspirational quote and your name automatically filled in at the top.

2. Schedule time on your calendar for something that will feed your soul.

3. Make a list of tiny things that would nurture or nourish you. Something that will take only a minute or two. I’m thinking that if we start small, that might at least develop a habit that we can build on.

4. Get a habit-tracking app on your phone that reminds you to do the things you listed in Step 3.

5. Find someone to help you.

I’ve done the first four, with limited success (old habits die hard). At this point I think I really need a partner — someone to take this journey with for mutual support, encouragement, and accountability.

Will you join me? Will you put yourself on your ToDo List?

As you race around doing chores or drive to the fifteenth appointment for the day, consider how you can add yourself to your own ToDo List. And if you have ideas for me, or would like to share your journey, please leave a comment.

Kathleen Thompson is a blogger, podcaster, and singer. She uses words and music to help people find their unique voice and make their life sing. Kathleen inspires people to celebrate each moment as a precious gift and find beauty in the everyday. You can find her at Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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Guest post from Jamie of From His Presence:

Do you ever get discouraged when your journey seems slow?

If so, you’re not alone. I struggle with discouragement sometimes when my plans go haywire, or when I run into unexpected obstacles. However, I’ve found several things that really help me kick the blues to the curb.

If you’re struggling with maintaining your courage, these tips might help you too. Here are three sure-fire ways to encourage yourself, no matter how slow your journey:

1. Celebrate your process.

I am working on getting healthier. But when I look at my long-term goals, like reaching a certain body weight or eating a whole-foods diet, sometimes I feel overwhelmed. Those big goals can seem awfully far away.

If you’re the same way, try celebrating the process, not just the results. Instead of trying to lose two pounds this week, set a goal to just exercise three times. When you do, you’ll feel pumped each time you exercise because you’ve done something to reach your goal.

No matter what your goal is, the process — every workout, every dollar of debt paid off, every shelf organized — will get you there. If you celebrate each small step, it’s easier to stay on track.

2. Keep a year-at-a-glance progress calendar.

Last year, I began keeping a two-page, year-at-a-glance calendar in my planner. In the box for each month, I wrote down all the work I did throughout the month, whether my goals were completed or not.

Keeping this calendar made a huge difference for me all year long! When I felt like I wasn’t making any progress, I looked at that calendar and saw all the work I had done throughout the year. Even when my goals were still far away, it really encouraged me to see undeniable proof of my progress!

If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, keeping a progress calendar might help you too. When you feel blue, seeing that record of your work can inspire and motivate you again pretty quickly.

3. Allow yourself some easy wins.

If you only make big goals, you rob yourself of opportunities to get pumped up about your little wins.

I like to set small goals sometimes because I just need the inspiration that comes from achieving something — anything! 🙂 If my goal is small, then I know I can probably reach it. And when I do… you guessed it! I feel like a million bucks and want to do more!

So if you’re discouraged, why not allow yourself some small wins? For example:

• Go for a fifteen-minute walk.
• Spend ten minutes throwing away clutter.
• Clean just one portion of your kitchen counter if the whole thing is too overwhelming.

Anything you do will inspire you, and you’ll feel fantastic just because you made progress! An easy win can make all the difference.

Whether you’re working on organizing your house, getting healthy, building your savings account, or anything else, sometimes we encounter unexpected snags. In difficult times, however, keeping your courage up is half the battle.

How do you keep yourself encouraged?

Jamie Rohrbaugh is a writer, an encourager, and a lover of Mexican food. Her passion is to inspire and equip people to live powerful lives and to function in their gifts. She blogs at FromHisPresence.com about how to live ordinary life in God’s manifest presence.

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