Coppertone and Hang Nails

WHY ARE TO-DO LISTS SUCH A B*TCH?

Lately, my to-do list has very closely resembled a papercut or better yet… a hang nail.

It’s just lingering, and just when I think all is well, it snags on my sweater and stings terribly. It’s highly irritating and nothing I seem to do keeps the annoyance at bay.

I’ve always been a list making enthusiast.

I make lists on any scrap of paper I can find. Napkins, receipts, gum wrappers, the back of my hand, literally anything. My cupholders are full of lists, just as my reusable grocery bags seem to be where old lists go to die. My partner rolls his eyes anytime I utter the words, “should have made a list!” when returns home without one thing we needed from the store.

Am I being dramatic? The point is, my to-do list has been nagging at me, practically nipping at my heels like that dog who nips at the bloomers of that little cherub child on the Coppertone sunscreen bottle… exposing my deep-seated insecurities of not being or doing enough.

Here’s how I tackle the never-ending to-do list.

I make a GIANT ass list. I’m talking one that’s way too big to fit in your back pocket. I do this for two reasons:

1. A giant list is harder to lose, and virtually impossible to ignore.

2. There’s more room for a massive brain dump of ALL the things that are swirling in my … magical… brain. 🙂 

I’ve got a 17×20” white board that was kicking around the house. This has become my new ever-evolving list. About every two weeks or so I erase everything that’s left behind and start fresh. Adding every little thing big, small, wishful, wanted, hopeful and dreamy to said list. It is VERY satisfying to free up all that brain space.

Post brain dump, I approach this beast of a list in the following manner:

1. What is time sensitive on that list? What has to happen first in order for the other 4 things to get done? If I want to ignore it, I take a deep breath and do it first.

2. What is on that list that is really a reminder? (grocery shopping, change the sheets, laundry, call bestie…) Those can be sprinkled into the day, and don’t need to live on a to-do list, you’re going to do those things anyway.

3. What is a wish and a hope? Those are the likely what is left over after you have weeded out the time sensitive things like renewing a teaching license and submitting a grant application.

So, you’re left with the big stuff, and this is meant to be chipped away over time, not overnight.

Here’s what I’ve learned.

We do at least 5-8 things every day (likely more) that never even made it on the list. But somehow that doesn’t count. I call bullshit - it does count, and we need to accept that fact with OPEN ARMS!

Every day comes with a new mystery bundle of to-do list intruders (things popping up we hadn’t planned on): sickness, long phone calls, long lines, traffic, flat tired, appointments shifting.

When you hit two weeks, shake that to-do list like a giant etch-a-sketch and start fresh.

What’s the point Ade?

The point of this is to remind you that YOU ARE ENOUGH.

Every single day you are doing SO MUCH GOOD.

Do not let the list get you down. It’s a list, that will live on, and morph over time.

Just last week, I was lamenting about this feeling of “I didn’t do shit today… I have so much to do!”. My mother (the ultimate truth teller) said, “Okay- let’s hear it… tell me what you did today from the moment your feet hit the floor until this very moment”. My goodness was I surprised. I DID DO ALOT! Maybe that’s why I was so tired?!

Listen to Mama…

Next time your to-do list stalks your self-esteem like Michael Myers, hit pause and make a big ass list.

Hang in there, friend. Remember if you’re doing your best today, then you are doing more than enough. Be kind to yourself, you deserve it.

Thank you for being here, my friend.

You are doing incredible work, and you never have to feel like you are alone.

Xo,

Ade

In-Person Program Mini Update!

Ya’ll, we have a YURT! It’s a beauty and I cannot wat to have the walls up so that the utilities can be all installed and connected. Our solar system is soaking up ALL the energy, and we are prepping to move onto our forest classroom space amongst the wolf pines. Many of you have asked how to support. If you are interested, you can donate to our Clynk to Give account at Hannaford or browse our program wish list on Amazon. Thank you for all the warm wishes, and endless support you’ve been sending up to this tiny corner of the Maine Woods.

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