I didn't achieve much today....or did I?

Photo by Svitlana on Unsplash

Do you feel like you do so much but still have so much to do? I am a busy mum who works full time (mainly from home) so I frequently get to the end of the day feeling like I didn’t achieve much.

I consider myself very lucky to work from home, it gives me a lot of flexibility around family life but the downside is that the house is always there needing stuff to be done, lunchtime errands to be run, doing more than the rest of the family in the evening because I work at home and they all come home so tired.

There is a super easy journal exercise that I often do when I feel overwhelmed and I’ve got to the evening without feeling like I achieved much. I simply call this my ‘Got It Done’ list. It's almost like the opposite end of a ‘Get To Do’ list (more on that in another post). All you do is write down absolutely everything you can remember that you did since getting up (within reason lol, some things are definitely too much information).

This is mine today so that you can see what I mean:

• Made tea / coffee and woke everyone

• Started emptying the kids pool ready to clean

• Gathered up laundry from bedrooms

• Sorted it and put darks in machine to wash later

• Washed, got dressed and took dog for morning walk

• Got back, made sure breakfasts on the go and kids on track for getting to school on time

• Made packed lunches

• Put breakfast stuff in dishwasher

• Cleaned desk, drinks fridge and dining room surfaces / floor

• Straighted hair quick and put on a little make up whilst eating breakfast

• Rinsed out pool, cleaned patio, pumped pool up a bit and filled it again

• Started work

• Had a couple of short breaks to play with dog and take him outside

• Worked some more

• Had long break at lunchtime to take youngest to new senior school for transition afternoon

• Went home, grabbed some food for lunch

• Worked some more

• Picked up both boys from school

• Worked some more

• Cleared table after school bag and stuff dump

• Worked some more

• Put washing machine on

• Started making dinner

• Fed kids and dog, put our dinner up as husband was at running club

• Started spinning washing

• Quick dust, sweep and hoover in living room

• Hung washing on airers

• Ate dinner

• Finished cleaning kitchen after dinner

• Finally put feet up for a bit to start an online course I want to do

• Started writing this blog

Phew, but I didn't achieve much today right?

Next time you feel like that, write yourself a quick ‘Got it done’ list. You will realise that you need a well deserved cuppa with your feet up after a long ‘more productive than you thought’ day!