Healthy You
Guest Post by Brittany at Equipping Godly Women
Do you ever feel as though there just are not enough hours in the day? Like no matter how hard you try, you are always behind? Do you ever feel like you are constantly dropping the ball? Yeah, I’ve been here too.
I absolutely love this quote I heard by Lysa TerKeurst: “Saying yes to everything won’t make me Wonder Woman. It will make me a worn-out woman.” This quote resonates with me a little too much. I’ve been there. I am there!
Yet, saying yes to everything doesn’t give you a full life. It just drains all of your energy and leaves you with not enough of you to go around.
Can you relate? If so, here are five practical ways to lighten your workload that can really help.
1. Determine Your Priorities
As much as we women want to have it all, the truth is that we really can’t. Instead, we have to choose every day which part of our lives will get our attention that day. When we fill our lives with obligations and interests that don’t really matter, it takes time away from the things that do, like going on date nights with our husbands or spending time teaching our children good values.
What are your priorities today? What tasks do you need to let go of so you can make more time for them? I know it is hard to give up, step back and step down, but every time you add another non-essential task to your calendar, you squeeze out the things that matter most. Get rid of all the obligations that don’t add significant value to your life, and refuse to add more to your plate.
2. Streamline Your Tasks as Much as Possible
Once you’ve pared your calendar down to just the essentials and no more, find ways to streamline your routines. For example, I used to cook all of our meals for the week on Sundays so I wouldn’t have to cook again until the next weekend. I store the cleaning supplies next to the areas of the house they are designed to clean, and I do certain tasks on certain days or at certain times when it works best for me.
**Want more tips for keeping your house in order even when you’re busy? Check out the ten great tips I use daily here and here.
Image by kakisky
3. Delegate When You Can
What is it with women and refusing to ask for help? We aren’t Wonder Woman, and it’s time we stopped pretending we are. After all, when we try to do everything ourselves, we rob others of the chance to serve us by helping out. We miss out on bonding opportunities, teaching opportunities and growth opportunities, and we make ourselves more frazzled than we ought to be.
Ask your husband to give the kids their bath tonight, and give your children chores to do. My five year old can unload the dishwasher, clean his own room, take the bathroom trash out, and gather up the laundry. Even my one year old can help put things away. (He’s not very good at it, but we’re laying a great foundation!)
4. Take Better Care of Your Health
I don’t know about you, but every time I get extra busy, my health and well-being always seem to fall by the way-side. I don’t get enough sleep, I don’t exercise, and I reach for quick and easy (and unhealthy!) snacks instead of preparing a real meal. As a result, my productivity diminishes significantly. Suddenly even easy tasks take twice as long to complete… if I can manage to finish them at all.
I know that taking care of your health can be difficult. Yet, staying in good health is absolutely essential for getting anything done. Not sure where to begin? Check out these 10 Easy Things You Can Do to Improve Your Health Today.
Image from pixabay.com
5. Stop Using Others’ Lives as Your Standard
Lastly, stop comparing your life to others’. Just because you have one friend who eats only organic, one friend who runs half-marathons, and one friend who is a successful career woman, that does not mean that you need to do all these things, too! NO woman can do it all, and the ones who say they can are lying. Focus on YOUR priorities, and don’t worry about the rest.
How full is your workload right now? What practical steps can you take today to make room for the tasks that really matter?
Is your busy schedule interfering with your spiritual life as well? If so, you definitely won’t want to miss this post: 5 Ways to Make Time for God When You Barely Have Time to Pee.
Image by Ray Mortim
Brittany is a busy work-at-home mom and blogger who loves Jesus and helping others fall more in love with him, too. If you enjoyed this post and want to read more like it, be sure to head on over to Brittany’s site, Equipping Godly Women, where she regularly shares helpful tips, tricks and encouragement to help you be the amazing woman God created you to be. You can also find Brittany on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest as well.
Neyssa
Comparing ourselves to others is always the struggle. Great post! I always look around and become overwhelmed with my “creativity” as far as interior designing goes and want to give up.
Brittany @ Equipping Godly Women
Don’t give up! Just stick to what you’re good at, and trade tasks for the things you aren’t. No one is supposed to excel at everything! (And I’m not very good at decorating either…)
Stefanie @ Calledhis.com
Love this post, Brittany!! I love especially that you advocate for women to take care of their health. I think women in general tend to spend more time on others and we forget that without our health, we’ve got ‘nothing’!
Brittany @ Equipping Godly Women
Thanks, Stefanie! I only advocate for that because… I’ve been doing a horrible job of it lately myself and I can really tell the difference. All this Halloween candy… it’ll be the death of me yet 🙂 Here’s to making small changes for a big impact! We can do this!
Sarah Mueller
I am so big on priorities! No one ever said, “I’m going to waste as much time as possible watching Youtube videos today.” 🙂 Thanks for a great reminder.
Brittany @ Equipping Godly Women
lol! Sometimes I think I must have said “I am going to waste as much time as possible on Facebook today.” If that was my goal–man, I would rock at that! I HAVE to use to-do liss and schedules to keep me on track or I’ll just be chatting with people all day long!
Kimber
What a guest post! I’m working on all of these, especially #3. I’ve been turning more towards natural cleaning products so my kids can help. It’s great to be able to trust my 4-year-old to actually get things clean (and not have to worry that the dog will get Windex in her eyes!)
Brittany @ Equipping Godly Women
Thanks, Kimber! Somehow I never even thought about natural cleaning products being better for kids to help (my kids are still little enough, they aren’t really allowed around any cleaning products–natural or not). I just didn’t want the chemicals in my house at all (or to have to spend money on them when I already had baking soda and vinegar in the cabinet already) but that’s a fantastic reason too! Yay for all-natural cleaning solutions!
E
Thanks! I so needed this!! I am working on delegating tasks to my elementary aged kids, since they are home more than my husband. I think they are capable, and if they aren’t, it’ll be a great opportunity for them to learn! But really, I think I’m working on ALL of those! I have a hard time with being over-committed(#1), and feel very inefficient (#2). I’d say #4 is the one I’m the closest to ‘being there’. Love my sleep! 🙂
Brittany @ Equipping Godly Women
I have a 5yo and a 1yo, and I delegate a lot to them. They are both such great helpers though–probably because I’ve always expected them to be! I think as moms we sometimes get so stuck in the “do everything for them” role that we forget–they really can help out a lot if we let them. And they should! (And the same goes for husbands too. I bet most husbands would help a lot more if we’d let them)
Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
Not enough hours in the day seems to be my constant refrain right now! I’m working on only saying yes to what is necessary and important for our family in this season of life. It can be hard for someone who wants to help people whenever possible 😉
Brittany @ Equipping Godly Women
Lisa, I totally know what you mean!! I always want to say yes to every opportunity that comes my way too!
Betsy
I especially need to hear # 4: “Take Better Care of Your Health” right now. Reading this made me realize I’ve been running low on sleep and grabbing for junk food. Not a good combination. And I also realize that I’m in a season where I need to cut back on some activities even though others might not expect it. (Home schooling a high school senior, dealing with college applications, and also teaching my dyslexic daughter.) People think, “Oh they’re in high school. You’re free now.” But it just ain’t so! Thanks for your wisdom
Brittany @ Equipping Godly Women
What do you mean we don’t have our schedules free once the kids hit high school?? Oh dear, I’m in trouble! I was hoping this “they need so, so much” phase was a toddler thing! lol
Tobi@SimplyJesus
What a wonderful reminder that we can’t do it ALL, and encouragement to ask for help, which I am not very good about doing. Happy New Year!
Erin
Happy New Year to you!
Brittany at Equipping Godly Women
Happy New Year! Hope it’s a great one!
The Thrifty Issue
Some great advice. I think its important to live your life to your own standards, but society makes it so hard to not feel the need to urn for the simplicity and freedom of others. Thank you for bringing me back to reality.
Brittany Ann
You are so welcome! It’s definitely hard to ignore the rest of the world sometimes – especially when their voices are so loud!
StressedOutMum
Great post! I am trying to work on this right now with our ‘large’ family. But I wonder how on earth do you start, when you don’t know where to start? I just get so overwhelmed with everything right now and I feel like I can’t ask anyone for help, because honestly I just don’t even know how to do what needs done myself. Certain stuff needs doing, but then there all of the every day things (and I’m sort of doing it all on my own) and well I just don’t even know what is a “priority” – because at the moment just getting out of bed, seeing to the children and making dinner is exhausting enough! How do you mamas all manage?
Brittany Ann
In that situation, I would honestly just sit down one night after the kids are in bed and make a huge list. Then, start organizing it.
What things don’t need to be done right now, in this season? Cross them off, let them go, and don’t even worry about it.
What things can be delegated to others? Maybe the kids can do more chores or your husband can help out more.
What things can you streamline or automate? Maybe a grocery delivery service or you can sign up for auto-pay for your bills.
And then look at what’s left – which are the highest priorities and which will you get to when you have time? You might even try making a calendar or checklist so you can just focus on one thing at a time and not get so overwhelmed.
Hope that helps!
AwmemeÃ
I see these types of lists all the time and honestly all they do is frustrate me. One thing that is never on any is and I’m should be is PACE yourself! It’s not just enough to prioritize you need to pace yourself. For me and many others this is a vital thing. I can have my to do list but when you’re sick enough you can barely walk to the bathroom, are in the hospital…just got out or should be in the hospital..it doesn’t do any good to have a list of priorities. For me sometimes that means setting a timer to do housework for 5 mins and stopping to rest, look at fb or watch tv. Or getting up during commercials only to do housework. So that I can feel up to trying to make dinner for hubby and I.
Erin
Yes on pacing! That is SUCH a good point!!