A Little More on Mindfulness

I saw a post on Instagram the other day from a fellow mother and it was so inspiring. It made me stop and think, and has continued to be in the back of my mind. My kids don't care if I'm wearing makeup or have my hair done before a walk or a trip to the park. The only thing they care about is having their mother present with them. They don't care if the laundry is done or if there are fingerprints on the back door. They are more concerned with whether or not I'm showing up to meet them each day. And obviously I'm with them every day. But I'm talking about my intentions during our time together. 

And then this post got me thinking. I have a tendency to let my to-do list sit at the forefront of my mind. When I'm home, it's hard for me to just sit back and play with my kids, because I'm thinking about the dishes, or the laundry, or how I need to sweep the stairs again. So I find that I give them a couple minutes here and a couple minutes there, but then I'm off to tackle the next task that needs to be done. But that's the thing. I understand that I need to get these tasks done around the house, but I don't want to do it at the expense of my girls and my time with them. I need to make a conscious effort to carve out time for it all. I often find myself moving from one thing to the next very quickly, like a bee flitting from one flower to the next. But in reality, I'd love to dedicate a bigger block of time for my kids before feeling the pressure to start getting things done. Because I know those household chores are important too, but there's got to be a balance.

I'm just thinking out loud here, but I'm going to try something like time blocking. I think part of my issue is that I don't ever have a good plan, so get distracted while working on one thing, only to not finish that before moving on to the next project. If I go into each day with one or two tasks to complete, and an actual timeframe to compete them in, it will help me stay focused. I won't worry about extra things, and if I plan a general timeframe, I can plan for the other time to be spent solely with my kids. This may seem like a novel concept, but I truly get so distracted throughout my day (thanks social media/technology and instant gratification for that), that I end up doing a lot of half tasks. 

So I'm going to try a new thing. A little note in my phone or calendar. I'll write it each night before bed, and set a time to get it done. I have always struggled with anxiety, but it's gotten worse the last few years. Since I like lists, my doctor suggested I make a list each day with only three things to get done. If I know it's going to be a busy day, list things I have to do anyways. That way, I can still check off my list and feel like I completed something, but it could be something as simple as make dinner, take out the trash, or put the kids to bed. I may keep my list at two items for now and see how it works for a bit.

I think overall I will be more productive with my time. But I will also be more focused and intentional with each thing I'm working on. And I have this funny feeling, that once I dedicate true quality time with my kids, they won't notice when I have to jump up and do a load of laundry or sweep the dang stairs. One more baby step into being more mindful so that I can really focus my time and energy, instead of just being swayed by each little thing that comes my way.