I stood at the kitchen counter earlier this week shovelling dinner into my mouth. Between bites, I slurped water and briefed my husband on the day and what he needed to know for the evening. As I ate, I paced around the room watching the clock tick closer and closer to when I had to be out the door again.
As it turned out I took one bite too many because I was late for my event. Luckily, this time, it wasn't a big deal but as I screeched into a parking spot and hurriedly walked towards the door I was annoyed that I was late - again.
At the start of the week when I had sat down to make my get-to-do list I knew there were too many things on my calendar. Sure, I had pockets of time here and there but I hadn't been intentional in scheduling larger blocks and chunking similar activities together. It meant I'd jump from one thing to the next and constantly be on the clock. Instead of making any changes (even though I knew better!) I hit the Go Button and hoped the week would work out.
Spoiler ... It didn't. Even as I write this newsletter I have been interrupted and distracted and my mind is wandering all over the place. Today is the only day this week where I had scheduled a larger block of time but I am having a hard time getting into a rhythm.
Why is it that even when I have time I still can't settle? I could feel myself getting frustrated and starting to stress. I dug into my toolbox of things to help me reset. Deep breaths. Some quick movement. A wee shot of caffeine. I felt energized. I'd cleared my space and was ready to go.
Not so fast! As I sat staring at the blinking cursor, my computer froze. Nothing was moving on the screen. I jiggled my mouse. Nada. Annoyed, I got up and made another cup of tea hoping it would magically reset while the kettle boiled. I returned to my desk only to find my screen still frozen. I won't share the language I used but suffice to say it wasn't church-worthy!
As I was about to hit the power button and start over, my computer spontaneously shut down. Now I was staring at a black screen. No error message. No spinning wheel to indicate things were loading. No Apple logo showing it was powering up again. Just the black screen of laptop death.
Life has a funny way of reminding you when you have too much on your mind and this week it was my computer that shouted loud and clear to close the open tabs and power down.
This has been a good reminder that ...
I know how and when I'm at my best and I can manage my calendar to help not hinder.
I know I need downtime to reboot my brain or everything will just pile one on top of the other.
I know that too many thoughts cluttering my head is only sustainable for so long before things go haywire.
Everything will eventually get done ... when it is meant to. Or, maybe not at all. And that's okay.
I just need to pause and slow down long enough to remind myself what I already know.
And, my computer? Well, eventually, the Apple logo appeared, my laptop powered up and I was back online. Phew. Crisis averted (or maybe just delayed for another time - ha!).
Tell me, what are some of your strategies for staying on track? What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? I'd love to know.
Wishing you a powered-down weekend to rest and reboot yourself. I hope it involves some smiles, time with family and friends and maybe a nap!
Walking forward with gratitude,
Sarah
PS - I'd love it if you shared this newsletter and stay tuned for more news from me!
one more thing β¦
Sometimes the little things become way bigger than you anticipate! Sharing an a-ha moment I had this week about steps I took to minimize the chaos and dust in my house after a mini-project turned not-so-mini.