Today I wanted to talk about lists, in particular my favourite variety, the ‘to do’ list. I have always been a big fan of writing a daily to do list. I love the satisfaction of ticking things off; that feeling of accomplishment. Writing lists also helps me remember all the things I need to do and keeps me focused (I am very easily distracted).
There are a couple of downsides to these lists though, firstly my tendency to completely overestimate my ability and theamount of time I have available. The list pictured above is an example of a more sensible approach but very often I have about 15 tasks to complete, not including looking after 4 children, preparing meals and providing activities.
Source: lolsheaven.com
Another negative is my lack of flexibility (which apparently you need an abundant amount of with young children). There’s nothing wrong with having goals for the day, but that’s what they are;goals. They are not set in stone, there is no contract signed. Granted there are certain tasks that are mandatory, mainly feeding the children and getting the older two to school. Aside from these though, everything else depends on the level of chaos to which I am subjected on any given day.
I guess the message I’m trying to get through the thick layers of ‘you will not fail’ and ‘ you must get everything perfect first time’, is that trying is enough. That’s right I said it, TRYING IS ENOUGH! Notice I didn’t say, “as long as you try your best”. I hate it when we say, “as long as you try your best it doesn’t matter”. Sometimes I can’t try my best, my best is locked away somewhere and all I can do is try.
So I’m no longer penning the title ‘to do list’ on the scraps of paper on my nerdy brown clipboard. From this day forth my lists will be ‘try to do lists’. Starting with, I’m going to try and reach Stephen on his mobile and ask him to buy dinner on his way home. It’s been a day that warrants it!