3 Simple Steps to Overcome Life’s Whirlwind!

Imagine having an in-control life you love and being the envy of all your friends

There’s been a lot of doing going on around our house the past two months. Well actually, there always is, but these past few months have been extra challenging and there’s been some stress. It’s been home improvement time at the Dawson’s, so we have had some painting done and new flooring installed. This is a wonderful blessing and we are thrilled to be able to upgrade our 17+ year-old stuff. However, if you’ve experienced the blessing of home improvements, you also know there’s a lot of packing, moving, covering, uncovering, dusting, moving, unpacking, sorting, donating, and more moving. Reminiscent of Dorothy from Kansas in the farmhouse swirling up in the tornado. It seems like it will never end and while the anticipation of a fresh new look in your home keeps you motivated, the never ending dust and MOVING can wear on you.

Do you ever find yourself stuck in a whirlwind of activities – all urgent but you’re not sure they are important? I get stuck in this too and find following these steps imperative to getting back to a manageable level of busy. 1 – Make a list of all your activities. 2 – Determine the things that only you can do and delegate the rest! 3 – Just stop doing the things that don’t really matter.

  • Make a list of all your activities (stressful or not)

Sometimes there seems to be a whirlwind, but I can’t figure out what it’s made of. Life just seems frantic, always running here and there without a moment to just think about a better way. So yes, I know, making a list of the activities that make up the whirlwind seems impossible! But even if it’s just 5 minutes while you sit in the parking lot at the grocery, write it down or start a note in your phone, and list everything that’s making you stress out.

  • Determine the things that only you can do and delegate the rest!

OK – I know you’re a super-hero in the flesh, but really, what is there that could be done by someone else or at least made easier and more efficient by using good old technology?

Is it truly necessary that you physically shop for that birthday gift by going store to store and spending half a day, or could you order online, have it wrapped and shipped to your door, or better yet – their door? Grocery store – HELLO, online shopping list, click what you need, order and have it delivered! I personally haven’t tried this yet, but I understand from friends who have, that it’s awesome.

Your job or career – this is probably something ONLY YOU CAN DO.

But the same rules apply, are you taking on more responsibilities there than needed or expected? Being the super-hero at work can have advantages, but there’s also a price for the hero status.

  1. Be the best Mom or Dad your kids can have – That’s one ONLY YOU CAN DO!
  2. Spend time with a close friend or family member in crisis – That’s one ONLY YOU CAN DO!
  3. Write a note to a friend sharing your deep thoughts and prayers – ONLY YOU!

Cleaning your home and doing your yard work is one that Mike and I struggled with for many years. We’ve both worked full-time for the biggest part of our 30+ years and have gone back and forth particularly about the house cleaning and the cost associated with it. We’ve come to the conclusion that providing several hours of employment for the cleaning team and gaining those hours back into our week is worth the financial cost. We don’t enjoy house cleaning, we are not particularly good at it, and we are happy to employ someone else that wants to do it for us.

Sometimes there are opportunities that pop up where you can use someone else’s expertise for a quick win. During our home update we were taking our dog to day-camp since she lives inside with us and the workers were occupying her space with sharp tools and open doors. After several days of camp we received a coupon for $10 off a grooming session – OPPORTUNITY!

She needed a bath; it was only going to cost $4 and could be done while she was there for camp anyway. Genius marketing and it filled a definite need.

“You can HAVE it all; you just can’t DO it all.”  Marie Forleo

  • Just stop doing the things that don’t really matter.

Dig deep on this one. You’ve got to understand WHY things are important. If you understand the WHY then it will be easier to decided what is really important and what just doesn’t matter. Some examples:

Scenario A: Cooking dinner every Sunday for the entire family, whether that’s 3 or 20. You do this every week and sometimes it becomes a burden to come up with the next menu, go to the store (or have delivered), prep, cook, serve, clean up, and then start thinking about the next week.

What’s the WHY in this scenario? Is it expected because your mom always did this and it’s a tradition? Or do you see this as an amazing opportunity to pour into the lives of your most important relationships? If your WHY is a combo of both reasons, maybe try to streamline the process and order food in every other week or do frozen lasagna and bread.

Scenario B: Working in the yard 5 hours every weekend and dragging the kids into the mix. You do it because that’s what your dad did, and he had the most beautiful, lush lawn on the entire block. It was his joy to share his secret ratios of fertilizer, water, and blade cut height with close friends. Your WHY might sound like that it is expected from you because you are your father’s son. Or your WHY might be that you actually love having a beautiful yard as much as your dad did, and the time outside is a nice break from being in an office every other day of the week.

I’m not suggesting that you just give up taking care of your lawn, but perhaps you could delegate that to a lawn maintenance team and regain those hours for other activities more centered around your family or friends.

All in all – whirlwind life happens! And we can be the victim, hanging on for dear life, and just hoping that things will change. Or, we can be proactive and involved with what’s happening and make changes by determining which things are a must, which things can be delegated, and which things just don’t need to be done at all.

We’d love to hear what task you could let go of today and no one would know except you?  Let us know in the comment box below.