The Answer

(Continued from "The Wall)

I first need to state, that I have a VERY strong belief in God and feel that He is aware of me and knows me and my struggles.  I also believe that He doesn't want me to struggle but wants me to succeed.  I know, from many experiences in my life, that in order to have Him help me, I have to ask.  Sometimes, I have to say that I know He helps me even when I don't ask, but I know I receive more help when I get myself to the asking point.

So, I got on my knees and threw it all out there.  I explained how I felt about balancing family and home and that I knew He wanted me to have success in both areas, but I couldn't do it on my own, so would He please help me out.  I even shared with Him some of the things I had done and learned that might lead to further steps up that ladder.

I tried to open my mind to what might be the answers and sat quietly and pondered for awhile, but there was nothing concrete yet.

About two days later, I woke in the morning and had suddenly figured something out.  I realized that my day has a real pattern to it and that there are certain things that must happen at the same time every morning.  I had had enough successful days in the past, that I remembered the building blocks that made me feel that those days had been successes.  This sudden understanding helped me bring all of these points together in one place.  Ah!  How well He knows me and just how to teach me.  So reassuring!

I sat down with my planner and divided it up into sections.  Once I had those laid out, it became easy.  I believe this must have been the answer to my prayers.

In those sections, which were each about an hour and a half long, I placed various important tasks.  For example, in the early morning, before my family wakes, I know that I HAVE to shower, have my face washed, teeth brushed, be dressed and have my bed made and room straightened, or it's not going to happen, and my day will be a flop from the get go.  Once the kids are up and running, I'm out of luck.

Once I created these routines, I pared them down to the most important things.  I also, following the Sidetracked Home Executive's way of doing things, assigned certain types of tasks to certain days--errand day, desk day....

Along these lines, Sunday's are my planning days.  I review the things that lie ahead in the next week and assign them to certain days and prioritize them.  I set goals and set up baby steps to lead to success.  I figure any step forward is a step in the right direction no matter how small.

Here's an example.  As far as my college courses go, I create a spreadsheet with the date, day of the week for that date, and an assignment on each day of the week.  I try to be realistic, so I don't overwhelm myself.  That's one things about these classes, they have helped me be more aware of how much I can handle.  Each day, I know there's an assignment, so I go to the spreadsheet, figure out what I have to do, and when it's done, I shade in that square on the page.  It has worked nicely.  On Sunday's, I review these schedules too; I'm not afraid to revamp them as needed.

This way of doing things had helped me significantly.  I don't feel as out of control any more, but I know more than anything, to succeed, I have to DO something.  I can't just sit back and expect things to happen.  I have to be proactive.  Sometimes motivation is hard to come by.  In these situations, I just need to remember who gave me the plan and then lean on Him some more to guide me.  It works!  So, everyday is a little reminder to me that He's aware of me.

If you want more information on this and the exact plan, let me know.  I'd happily share it with you.  Not sure if just works because of my personality or if others would benefit from it too.  Knowing what it feels like to be overwhelmed, I'm happy to share whatever I can with anyone else who might be in the same boat.