Doing Away With The To-Do List

I dont know about you guys, but I feel like my life is a huge checklist right now.

Work, school, hobbies, church, friends, boyfriend, personal time, exercise, rest, etc...

It's just so much sometimes! If you think anything like me, checklists irritate me...I feel like EVERYTHING needs to get checked off in order for the day to have been successful. What's twisted about this, though, is that I know I shouldn't set such high demands for myself, because 1) it's not healthy to live this way, and 2) it's not practical.

Unless you're Superwoman/man, no one can successfully do everything in one day. You could maybe touch on each area throughout the course of one's day, but no way is it possible to give each task in one's life 100% attention.

So I've decided to come up with a new approach to this problem....get a planner and stick to it. Sounds simple right?...NO.

I know this will be challenging for me, being that I tend to cram multiple things/tasks into one day. Lol.

For example, in the past I have adopted the following routine:

I purchase a planner.

I make a lists of ALL the things I need to do.

I start grouping multiple different tasks into one day (knowing that I will not be able to get to it all).

I begin checking off the items that I completed (which is usually few)

I then feel discouraged because I still have 4 or 5 tasks that are still open or left as incomplete, which I then must revisit the next day, further increasing my task of items to do).

Feeling overwhelmed with all the unfinished tasks in my planner, I then abandon it completely to rid myself of the lack of failure or accomplishment for that day/week.

Sad huh? LOL.

I've decided to take a new approach to this, cause it's obviously not working. I decided that instead of creating multiple tasks to complete in one day, I will only create 2-3 ATTAINABLE tasks a day for myself to act upon. Then, at a CONSISTENT, SPECIFIC time, all of my tasks that day are then to be stopped NO MATTER what. That means if it's 9pm and everything isn't done...ooh well. I need to stop - for my well-being, and for my sanity. LOL.

Stopping will then allow me to take better care of myself and pay more attention to my interpersonal relationships.

The last thing I'd hate to do is live my life as one big checklist. I mean, it's great to feel accomplished and that my life has meaning, but I have to remember that what is life, if it means living everyday stressed, overwhelmed, alone, and unsatisfied?

I'd rather slow down and only do what I can in ONE day. After all, life is a journey. It isn't a race. It's to be enjoyed to the MOST. Not to be planned and coordinated every second of the day.