Busy Does Not Equal Productive

In Busy is not the point from Seth Godin's Blog, Seth Godin states,

“Points for successful prioritization. Points for efficiency and productivity. Points for doing work that matters.”

That is my problem. I’m so overwhelmed by all that I have to do that I feel paralyzed and can’t move. I guess that inaction is a survival mode that my body goes into when I feel overwhelmed with the need to act.

We have three big trips planned and they occur one right after the other. That means that I need to basically plan and pack for all three trips at the same time. Now is the time for my lists. As you recall, I’m a BIG list maker! I can’t live without my lists and then the list of lists that I have made. They keep me sane. I know you think this is crazy but it works for me. I think.

I have a list of all the things I need to pack and each trip has a different list. I have a camping list, a cruise list, and a road trip list.

Then I have a list of things that I need to do before we do any trip.

I also have a list of things to do while we are traveling.

Then I have to go through the list of things to do and prioritize them. Of course, they all seem like something that I need to do right now but I try to number them in importance.

I also keep a bullet journal and list the things I need to do today. The joy of checking each one off gives me a sense of accomplishment and keeps me from being depressed when I feel overwhelmed.

When I think of all that I need to do, I just keep reminding myself about the saying that asks,  “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

When I’m on a difficult hike, I remind myself that I just need to take one step at a time.

When I look at my weight loss, I remind myself that it is just one pound at a time.

When I’m writing a post for this blog, I remind myself that it is just one word at a time.

When I look at things in this way, I feel a heavy burden lift off my shoulders and everything seems possible.

I need to give my students the same encouragement. I need to help them and encourage them with one word at a time, one gesture at a time, one smile at a time, and one hope at a time.

How do you tackle difficult things? Please share.

Photo by mauro mora on Unsplash