As moms, we are notorious for over-committing. And, all it does is leave us burnt out, depleted, exhausted, and (the one we hate to admit) frazzled.
It’s tricky because it’s so easy to do. Recently, I’ve chosen to turn the ship in my own life. Now I can honestly say that not only do I have fewer things on my calendar, but they are also the right things. Sure, we have our days that are busy, which, of course, leaves me tired and sometimes overwhelmed, but for the most part, I live my days steadily with just the right amount to do (or even less).
So, let me give you some tips to make this switch-up yourself.
1. Write out your week.
I like to write each day of the week on a piece of paper and then write down the commitments that day—school, work, softball, piano, church small group, etc. This helps you see the bones of your week and you can see which day(s) are packed & stacked and which are lighter or empty.
2. Schedule friend days.
Some days are going to be packed with commitments, but some days you might have space for a play-date. Notice which days you have open and just offer those days to play. It can be easy to want to be flexible so you can get together, but I promise it’ll only leave you frazzled as you race from that play-date to your next commitment. It’s not worth it. Only offer the days you know you have less to do.
3. Have a family day.
Call it what you want—”day of rest,” “family day,” “sabbath,”—but the point is that you need a day where you REST and do things that add value to your soul. Try your best to stay away from commitments, and either chill or interact with only people who bring you peace and a lot of joy. Having a day like this is hard because our culture wants to bombard our schedule, but you’ll see the fruit of having a day of rest quickly.
I hope these three tips are helpful to you! Consider writing out your week every season or whenever a new commitment enters your calendar. It’ll be a good way to gauge what you may need to say “no” to.
