After All, Tomorrow is Another Day
Where are my Gone with the Wind fans?!?! If you have ever seen this movie, then you know this quote from Scarlett O’Hara. (If you haven’t seen this movie, go watch it now – after you finish reading this;) When she is faced with utter devastation and crushing heartbreak, you see her inner struggle to face her loss. She makes her way to the stairs, weeping, as the thoughts of what matter to her most [Tara] come to her and give her the strength and motivation to raise her head in new resolve and say the famous words “After all, tomorrow is another day.” Such a great line from such an epic movie.
But sadly, sometimes, this is how I feel when my to-do list is not checked off at the end of the day. Defeated. At a loss. I want to give up. I don’t want to think about it. I sulk to my bed weeping, “What does it matter? I’m busy all day and exhausted by evening, but what have I even accomplished?!?! Look at all those unchecked boxes!!!!”
OK, so I’m being a tad over-dramatic. It is just a to-do list. But, for real, it can be defeating when we feel like we’ve worked all day and have “nothing” to show for it. I’ve always been somewhat of a “go-getter.” I’m intrinsically motivated to set goals, accomplish tasks, complete projects, and check off boxes. I stay busy with lots of activities and projects, and I wear a lot of hats. I like it this way. But I have to be careful to keep things in perspective. I have to be reminded to prioritize what’s important (God, my kids, my husband, my character, people) over what I think is an immediate need (chores, phone calls, projects.)
Just the other day, I had a to-do list with at least a dozen items on it when my friend text me at 9am and asked if I wanted to bring my girls and meet her at a resort pool for the day for a play date. Um, yes please. Now, I could have looked at my to-do list for the day (as I may have done in times past) and said “no” because I had too many things “to-do” today. Instead, I said “to heck with the to-do list, Let’s go!” [This is also partly because I also have mild FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), and I like a good party.] So, I quickly packed up the diaper bag and swimming gear while my 4-year-old packed her lunch and got dressed. I got the baby ready, and off we went. It was a great decision. Our kids had a great time playing together, swimming, and eating lunch. I got out of the house, had some adult conversation and some sunshine. My to-do list sat at home and ended the day with only two checked boxes.
I’ve discovered that part of the problem that often causes me stress is when I let my to-do list control me instead of remembering that I control the to-do list. Most of the things on my list are not time-sensitive. No life-threatening consequences will befall me if I vacuum the upstairs tomorrow or the next day instead of today. If the play room toys are not organized into their appropriately labeled boxes until tomorrow, it’s OK. If I don’t complete my 10-clutter challenge in exactly 10 days, and I finish it in 14, guess what? I will still have a decluttered house on day 14, and I consider that a win.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I still love a to-do list. I’m a huge fan of planners. I get a little excited every year when I get a new one. I love planners so much in fact, that when I complete a task or chore that is not on my list, I will write it on my list just to check it off. I’ve tried using lots of different planners over the years, and I’ve found a few that I like. One of the planners I used for two years had a to-do list for the week as a whole. I could write down things I needed to do by the end of the week. If I did it on Monday, great! If life happened, and it didn’t get done until Thursday, that’s great too. I could still check it off my list before the end of the week. Yay! However, that particular planner doesn’t have a great daily layout, so this year I tried a new one. The one I’m using now allows for daily time-blocking, and has a place for a daily to-do list. I like this too! Time-blocking has come in really handy as I’ve been trying to get baby on a schedule and I’ve been teaching online classes from home (shout out to VIPKID!). I do miss my weekly planner page though, so I created my own! WooHoo! (You can actually get a free printable version of this when you subscribe to my blog!)
The point is this. Remember…you control the list; not the other way around. Make it work for you. If something isn’t done today it’s OK; the page in your planner for tomorrow is just waiting to be filled with things to-do. Just write down all those unfinished to-dos on the next page because, after all, tomorrow is another day.
