Summer has ended, back to school has begun, and fall is in the air. This is an incredibly busy time of year and it’s priming us for the holiday season. Hold on to your seats because we won’t get a much-needed break until January unless you have a wrestler or dancer in the family. OK, maybe the next break you get is next summer. Is life really that bad? It can feel overwhelming. The constant juggling of tasks that need to be done. Do you ever feel like each thing on your to-do list is alive, and they all are jockeying for your attention? The squeaky wheel gets the grease, right? But what if it’s every wheel? And you don’t know which one is the worst? 

Life seems to overwhelm some of us more than others. It cannot be helped. Some people are just programmed differently. We ALL get overwhelmed and stressed. 

It’s how those lucky few who appear to “not care” handle it that I am often envious of. I have tried my entire adult life to manage things as perfectly as possible. But I have never been able to “not care” about even the smallest things. If dinner is not out of the oven at precisely the right time or if an unexpected disaster hits, I am angry. I should have planned better! 

But how do you plan for everything? You can’t and you will go crazy trying. 

The reason all the wheels are squeaking is because we simply can not do it all. If you are always chasing your to-do list it will never get done. 

If we break life’s demands down into manageable chunks. It’s not so hard to accomplish what’s needed. Noticed I said what’s needed here. Not everything matters if it gets done today or at all. 

We live in a world where our self-worth is measured by how much we get done in a day and how well we multi-task. I was raised this way. Unfortunately, I started to do the same to my kids. Studies have shown that by multi-tasking, you are actually getting less done and causing undue stress for yourself. Like when I get angry about dinner time. With the rise of stress-related health issues, we may want to take note and change some things.

How do you change years of bad habits? By knocking them down one by one. I have been working on this for a while now. I can feel the change in me. Let’s list life’s demands and make them a little easier.

Life demands:

Cooking and eating healthy, we all have to do it. 

• Create a weekly shopping list and menu. 

• Plan every meal and snack. 

• Double-check your pantry and write everything you need down. 

• Try to write your list of how the store you shop is laid out. That way, you save time shopping and do not forget things on your list. 

• Always have a couple of quick, easy staple meals on hand, in case plans change. Searching for something to make at 5 p.m. is awful and a time waste. 

Cleaning is another must-do.

• Start by keeping things picked up and the kitchen clean. As you get better at keeping messes at bay, start adding the deep cleaning routine.

• If you can keep up on the basics, hire someone to come in a deep clean every 3 to 6 months. They can clean the window and window seals, baseboards, doors, and light switches. You may find it more affordable than you think. 

• If hiring someone is out of the question make a 6 and 12-month cleaning chart. Break each room down and rotate through the house. 

• Cleaning the wash machine seal has a much better chance of getting done if it’s on a rotation. Plus, it’s one less thing to remember.

Maintenance- the more we have, the more that breaks.

• keep a record book and mark your calendar for when things need to be done.  

• Setting reminders helps your brain let go of things that do not need to be kept. 

• This should be for everything you own. Your house, car, boat, lawn mower, etc.; anything that should be on a maintenance schedule. Better yet, add it to your 6 and 12-month cleaning chart.

Activities for your kids or fur babies – This is the time to multi-task. 

• On the drive to activities. Listen to family-friendly audiobooks, maybe one your child is reading in school. 

• While waiting, create that shopping list. 

• If you have friends waiting with you, pack a coffee and snacks- make a mom date and enjoy a little relaxing time.

Physical fitness is more important than we realize

• You do not have to have a gym membership to work out. YouTube is full of videos showing ways to work out a home using everyday things. 

• What’s important about physical fitness is that you are doing something. Planning to do it someday will never get you anywhere. 

• Set an alarm and walk around for 5 minutes every hour. It’s small, but it’s a start.

Mental health is starting to be talked about more than ever before. I feel like it’s something most people don’t think they need to worry about. However, we are all susceptible to it. 

• Start a gratitude journal or sit outside for 20 minutes, taking deep breaths and being present at that moment. It’s amazing the health benefits you start receiving almost immediately. You will begin to enjoy it so much that it will become a top priority for you.

Religion helps you to be grounded and accountable for your actions.

• I find listening to the daily readings so humbling and inspiring. My personal favorite is the daily reflection with Jeff Cavens. His way of explaining the gospel really hits home for me, and it’s only 10 minutes long. 

• Start a morning prayer routine to get the day started right.

Hobbies -Try adding more of what you love back into your life. 

• Adding time a few days a week to enjoy your hobbies is a great way to be present and enjoy the now. 

• Do you like to paint or play the piano? How about reading a book with a cup of tea? 

If you think you don’t have time to read a book, try these ideas for keeping the book longer. 

• Buy a used book at a thrift store and take as long as you need to read it. 

• Borrow one from a friend or you could start a book swap. 

• Listen to an audiobook while cleaning. 

• Dust off the library card, check out a book and keep renewing it. Usually, libraries will give you two renewals, letting you keep the book for about twelve weeks. It might not be enough time for Game of Thrones, but a cozy murder mystery would be perfect!

Making Extra Money – This one can be tough. We all need more money. It could be because you are living paycheck to paycheck. Maybe you want to donate more to a cause you are passionate about. Whatever the reason for the much-needed dinero is – finding more can be tough. 

• I would suggest looking at Fiver or Upwork if you need money now. 

• If you have a little time and are creative, look to places like Esty, Amazon, Lulu, and Shopify. 

• If you have something you can teach, create a course and sell it online. 

Step one in stopping the chaos is to prioritize what needs to be done and create goals for those things. Goals keep us focused. It is easier to get things done when we see the big picture.

Step two is to work at it, knowing you will fail some days. Keep looking at that big picture.

Step three is to try again and fix what caused the failure. Pray for guidance. It will help. Slowly, we can change our way of life into a healthier, happier life.

“Life is a learning journey, not a blind race to the end.” -Salty Inspirations

As always, Thanks for stopping by for some Salty Inspirations!