My plans for the weekend had been booked for months. It was Fall Retreat for the students at our church and I was super pumped to be a leader.
As I finished my workday on Thursday, I had high hopes for Friday morning. There were quite a few tasks on my to-do list and I had every intention of completing them before the arrival of the weekend, and the retreat.
I started on my list, but as I began to check off items it wasn’t getting any smaller. Then my internet was giving me problems – it got slower and slower. (Having slow internet is definitely a large problem for someone that works online all day!)
I could feel my blood pressure rising and I wanted to scream! (Yes, I really mean that!) I was totally stressed out because I’d been working on my to-do list for hours and I still had quite a bit that I wanted to get done.
Even though I didn’t really have time for it, I knew a break from my work was necessary because my brain was about to explode.
As I began packing and getting ready for my trip, it hit me. I began asking myself if the things on my to-do list really mattered? I knew I’d already finished the items that I had to get done, and the things that were left were things I wanted to get done. I realized that I was stressing myself out for no reason because if I looked back after the weekend, the unfinished tasks really weren’t going to matter.
I picked up my computer and quickly began moving items on my to-do list to other days. I wasn’t going to be able to finish everything and there was no need to stress about it.
When I finally jumped in my car and headed out for the weekend, I was at peace with not having everything done. Those things weren’t going anywhere and I purposed to not to give them a second thought! The only thing that mattered was serving the students at the retreat.
Can You Relate?
Even though I’m perfectly fine with sharing this story just for myself, I have a sense that I’m not. Perhaps you’re like me and you push yourself to the limits. You make lists but never give yourself grace if your tasks aren’t checked off.
If that’s you, I’m going to ask you the same question that I asked myself. Does it really matter? If _______ doesn’t get done, is it going to matter in a month (or even a year)? If _______ isn’t perfect, are your family or guests really going to notice?
If the answer is no, extend yourself some grace (and relieve some stress) and mark it off your list. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did!
What do you need to give yourself grace for, or even mark off your list?
Thrifty T
This is an area that I have struggled with all my life. I am guilty of putting too much pressure on myself and giving myself very little grace. I was made aware of it last week and am now working on it. Thanks for the reminder.
You’re welcome – I’m glad it resonated in your heart!
Once we realize that we don’t have it all together it clicks in our minds and we get it. Although we wish we were (or even think we are at times), we’re not Wonder Woman!
Just Wednesday morning as I sat here whining while I peeled apples for pie, my dearest said “Does it really matter if the floor doesn’t get vacuumed? Or if everything isn’t just perfect?” I couldn’t help but consider his question seriously and realized that this is one area where I make him nuts. This was a rare Thanksgiving for us. We were getting to spend it together. We’ve been together for 22 years and I think we’ve had 4 Thanksgivings together. I apologized to him and promised I’d let go of the perfection bug and just ENJOY the process of preparations. He was so right. You are, too. I just need to remind myself of this more often!
Hi Terri! I’m definitely with you – now that I’ve learned that most “things” don’t really matter, I definitely have to remind myself often.
Wow, only 4 Thanksgivings together in 22 years!?! I hope this one was extra special.
Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation!
[…] on what matters most at the time.” Each situation is different and I have to ask myself if it really matters. I must remind myself that I may have to say no to a few good things so I can say yes to the best […]
I’m self-employed and spend most of my days in front of my computer as a freelance writer.
What works better for me is having a fairly short daily to-do list, with 3-7 items on it, and then a much longer bi-weekly list. One phone call or email message can suddenly change a slow day into a very hectic day, so I need to be flexible. I like the feeling of being able to check off all the items at the end of the day, too.
What I’ve discovered with the bi-weekly list is that if two weeks go by without me finishing some items on that list, there’s a strong possibility those items really didn’t need to be done anyway :)
Hi Richard,
It sounds like you have a fabulous system down. I love the idea of a daily and bi-weekly to-do list!
I too am guilty of putting things off and then realizing they weren’t as important as I’d originally thought!
Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation!
[…] Does It Really Matter? […]
[…] to make and when I choose to go with the flow it gets easier and easier. Learning to ask myself if the things on my to-do list really matter makes a huge difference. More often than not, the answer is […]