Brain Dump

This early fall, back-to-school season for many of us can feel so overwhelming. We may be feeling a sense of nostalgia from when we attended school, or a sense of loss as we feel “left out” of traditional societal rituals, or we may be questioning our abilities or choice to homeschool. It is ok and normal to feel all of these feelings. There are so many pressures on families and mamas in today’s society. There is even more pressure that we put on ourselves when we think that we need to be perfect or do all the things on our list.

I want to invite you to put away your “to do” list. I would like to invite you to try something different instead. Take a deep breath (or a few) and grab a sheet of paper and pencil. Take about 10-15 minutes and write out everything that needs to be done in the near term on the paper. Big and small things. Specifically, these are those things that you are keeping on a continuous loop in your head. Things you are worried you will forget. Things that are both urgent and mundane. Write it all down.

Now take a step back and look at your list. I call this activity my “brain dump” because I get all of the things out of my head that are competing for my attention. This exercise helps me to see all of the things that I think need to be done without any prioritization. It also gives others in my family unit the ability to see what tasks need to be done and add theirs to the list. Now what should we do with this giant mess of things?

I put the list up on the refrigerator where everyone can see it and help with accomplishing tasks. I pick the top two or three tasks that I feel are the most urgent or time sensitive and highlight them. And then I focus on only those activities for the day or weekend. The list acts as a visual reminder system without having to rely on your memory or ability to organize your time continuously. I also don’t put “daily living” tasks like dishes, laundry, or bathrooms on the list unless there is a specific project to do in those rooms like painting or organizing cabinets.

Looking at my own list, what type of activities are in my top three right now? After writing this blog post, my top item is filing our NOI this year to continue homeschooling. Second is getting goat wormer for our baby goats, and third is getting cleats for my older son who decided he wanted to play football. Your list could look totally different. And that is completely valid. Some items to consider are if a store or location you go to is only open certain days and at certain times. That would move things up on my list since there is a time constraint on when the item could be reasonably accomplished.

I hope that having a practical tool to help manage some of the overwhelm will decrease the perception that you need to do it all. Stop comparing yourself to those around you who you think are killing it in an area of their life that you are struggling with. We are all struggling. Without community, we will all be in individual lifeboats adrift. Together we can share those things that work for us to lift others up and lighten each other’s burdens. We are all doing the best we can.

-Homegrown Mama Blogger