If you’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed but can’t really put your finger on what’s making you feel that way, this little exercise helps a lot!
For me, this feeling is like a little low-grade hum at the back of my head, like a buzz reminding me there are things I need to do but no clarity on exactly what that is because I’ve had a few busy days and everything is getting a bit jumbled. I’m reacting to what’s happening during the day, I don’t really have any focus, and I need to take a few minutes to get everything back into order.
Here are my 4 go to’s when I want to feel more organised and relaxed after a few busy days:
I make my bed.
If nothing else gets done, I still feel better after doing this one. It takes a few seconds, it doesn’t have to look perfect, I just straighten up the covers and put the pillows into place. Now, no matter what happens during the day, I have a tidy, relaxing space to spend time in.
I put one load of washing on.
I try to put it on in the morning if I can, so I can hang it in the afternoon (or even in the evening as my last job if my day gets really busy). Doing that load of washing means my dirty washing basket isn’t overflowing and that helps me feel like I’m on top of things.
I do a quick tidy of my main living space.
My lounge room is usually full of stuff that really belongs in the kids’ bedrooms, so I just walk through picking up the stuff that belongs in one bedroom at a time, pop it in the bedroom and close that bedroom door. Then I get rid of any rubbish (usually a few snack wrappers) straighten up the lounge cushions, and the lounge room looks tidy again.
I brain-dump all the to-do’s in my head onto paper.
This is my go-to for days when I feel overwhelmed. Taking a couple of minutes to just sit and write out everything that’s taking up space in my head makes me feel so much better. And when it’s all dumped onto the paper, I look over it and cross out anything that’s really not urgent & important. I’m usually left with 3-4 things to do, I don’t feel bad about the ones I’ve crossed off, and I can move on with my day.
I hope you found these ideas helpful! If you’re ready for next steps in making life easier as a parent, you might to check out my popular House & Family Binder. It’s a simple set of prints to help you reduce the mental load and streamline the running of your household, and I’m adding digital versions of each planning print too to make it even easier to use! Check it out here anytime.
x Marissa
