After a busy weekend, I often start Monday wondering, “WHERE do I begin?”
Today I want to share a tip for getting motivated after a busy weekend.
It can be overwhelming thinking about ALL THE THINGS required from us just to start the week!
1) Make a list. I don’t know about you, but these days, when something comes to mind that I need to do, it seems that I’ve got ONE CHANCE to write it down before it slips my mind, never to be remembered again!
So start with a brain dump: write down everything that’s in your head that you need to do, remember, or buy this week. (Don’t intentionally make a grocery list right now, but if it comes to mind that you need milk, write it down.) It’s a good idea to make this list on a page that’s got designated columns for each day of the week and a shopping list. I consult my digital calendar and write the scheduled time for any specific appointments. (And I don’t actually write down “milk” - I add it to my grocery app on my phone. No need to make that list twice!)
It’s up to you how detailed your list should be - for example, I don't put Bible study, laundry or dishes on my list - those are automatic. But if I’m thinking about cooking something special, or if I need to mail something, it had better get designated to a particular day or it won’t happen!
After you’ve got a pretty good idea of what your week looks like, then you can concentrate on one day at a time. The problem is that if I’ve got too many to-dos on my daily list, I may avoid my list altogether - NOT a good strategy for getting things done!!
2) Highlight the priorities: Now look at your list for the day and highlight the most important items.
3) Here's the real tip! The first three: Write the three things that need to be done first on a sticky note and that’s your working list. You don't have to look back at that long overwhelming list until these three items can be crossed off!
My working list may not include the daily priorities that were highlighted if they are time sensitive. For example, one of my highlighted priorities may be an evening small group - obviously I can’t do that first...
4) The next three: When those are done, go back to the list for today and decide what should be prioritized next.
*Bonus Tip!) Make your list on Saturday: Want to take it all a motivating step further? Make your weekly list during the weekend, so you don’t have to think so hard first thing Monday morning!
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