I have to start by saying that I am not writing this to preach, but rather to practice. This is something that has been my greatest struggle since becoming a mom, and something that I am working on every day.
It has been ingrained in me by nature, as well as by my profession as a lawyer, that I set goals and expectations. In return, I find gratification by meeting them. If you are like me, sometimes this leads to measuring self worth by how much we complete and accomplish in life.
While this has proven much success for me, and is healthy in certain areas of life, it has been my downfall as a mother. I have set so many goals (most unrealistic and not important) to get done in a day, that I end up more frustrated than accomplished by the time the day is done. I also end up rushing things that deserve more time than I allow, resulting in tasks ending up incomplete or incorrect. The funny thing is, when I look back on what I didn’t accomplish in a day, those things were never that important anyways.
After having one of those days where I got nothing done because Jax was having an “off day” (yes, every baby has those every now and again), I had to stop and remind myself that these little people are unpredictable and that’s okay. I decided (much over due) that I needed to make a commitment to start prioritizing what is important. I am committing to plan to achieve ONE thing a day, whether that is a load of laundry, a visit to the grocery store, or an outing of some sort. If more can be achieved, then that’s a bonus. This is not going to be easy, but it will create a happier home, a happier baby and ultimately, a happier mama!
I challenge you to try living by the “One Task A Day” theory.
Maybe this won’t be the way things will be forever, but right now, life needs to be about playing with your baby, reading them a story, watching them sleep, or taking a nap with them.
The ironic thing is that after only one day of practicing this, beautiful things have been created and achieved. I feel less stressed, and more accomplished.
At the end of the day, life is not measured by how many tasks we complete, but how many memories we make – and these precious moments already go by way too fast.
Happy practicing!
M.J.
