Written by: Nikki McBride, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Do you ever get into a season of your life where you feel as if you’re not getting through as well as you should be? The overwhelm, hustle of every day is weighing on you when your alarm goes off? Or in my case, my children wake me with the instant need of breakfast? We tell ourselves that we can take on one more task, one more event, one more thing that may not be on our priority list while struggling to juggle more than we can handle. Then the season comes when we feel as if we are dropping the ball more than we ought to be, what is it we do? From what I have noticed, we press on. We get through it, very ungracefully, and with the attitude that we have no other choice.
What if there is a more graceful way to get through this season?
One thing I have learned is that reducing the heavy load to prioritizing six tasks will give you the freedom from anxiety of the overwhelm while releasing a dopamine drip as you check off your entire list. By simplifying and prioritizing everything on your plate, you will realize not everything has to be done in one day, or one week. Look at your to-do list and choose the top six things that you can focus or work on in a single day and write them down as “The List of Six”. By simplifying your to-do list to six tasks, your day will allow freedom for interruptions, unexpected phone calls, answering a friend in a crisis, or simply having more time to work on that article you have been struggling to find the time to write.
As a stay-at-home mom, I sure do have more than six things I need to get done daily. Therefore, when I am extra tired and feeling more overwhelmed than usual, I slow down and take a look at what I have placed on my plate and notice the pressure I have placed on myself. Then I take a breath and rearrange my list. I map out every day and place the “must do’s” on specific days, such as appointments, grocery runs, meetings, celebrations and I place the items that are changeable to days that don’t have a heavy load on them. Groceries must be bought one day but laundry can wait for a day where we may be around the house more. Dinner needs to be cooked every day, but the toys can be sorted and cleared maybe on a day where laundry is done and you have some time between flipping loads. An important meeting with a friend needs to be set up but maybe set it up for later in the week as one of your six things to do on Thursday.
This can be done if you’re in the work setting as well, especially if you have a demanding position and you feel the social pressure of being available to everyone. It is easy to get behind on the major projects as you’re assisting your team in the items they need from you. Utilizing “The List of Six” can give you the availability to have some time freedom during your day, and the mental space to be fully available and present as you navigate your work demands.
Practicing prioritizing your tasks will allow you to feel as if you are in control of your day and give you a chance to breathe during the season that feels overwhelming. By making “The List of Six” you will learn how to maintain the importance of your household, your mental well-being and your overall outlook on the season you are in. Some seasons are short, but the seasons that feel as if they’re never ending are the ones where we need to utilize those tools we forgot we have. Practice giving yourself grace and allow the tool of creating “The List of Six” to be available as you need.
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Nikki McBride, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Nikki is a graduate student at Ashland Theological Seminary studying clinical mental health counseling and a mindset coach. She has a passion for helping others find strength within themselves to create breakthroughs in their lives. Nikki believes in the power of the mind and is drawn to the new term “Mental Fitness” and has interest in N-CBT and EMDR Therapy. Nikki has a love for fitness and utilizes her abilities as a personal trainer and mindset coach to help others stay healthy and strong. Nikki’s main focus is being a stay-at-home mom to two wild boys and plans to share with the world her thoughts, knowledge and hope to assist others along the way of this journey we call life.
