Perhaps you are ready to move past a lot of the busy in your life. Maybe you’re tired of running here, there and everywhere, tired of squeezing in just one more thing, tired of feeling like you have to do it all; maybe you’re just plain tired. Life doesn’t have to be (and I don’t believe it needs to be) about being busy. As you consider letting go of the busy life and embracing the full life, reflect on and implement some of the traits and habits of the not so busy mom.
1. The not so busy mom lets go of perfection.
Perfection in this world is unattainable, but how often do we beat ourselves up because we didn’t perform or produce perfectly? I think we do it far too often. Letting go of perfection and allowing ourselves to simply do our best or maybe even fail is good, normal and human. It’s important to put forth our best effort, to make progress, to set goals, to climb those high mountains. It’s even more important to realize that our worth is not tied up in what we do. The not so busy mom knows that striving for perfection will just add to the craziness and the busyness. The not so busy mom lets go of perfection.
2. The not so busy mom lets go of the need to impress.
We can easily get caught up trying to impress those around us. This desire to impress can eat at us and consume us. We want our extended family to be impressed with our Thanksgiving menu. We want our friends to be impressed with the cleanliness of our home. We want our neighbors to be impressed with our new pool. We want our Facebook friends to be impressed with our family vacations. It goes on and on. It is exhausting. The not so busy mom knows she can’t impress everyone all the time. The not so busy mom knows she shouldn’t try to or want to impress everyone all the time.
3. The not so busy mom considers her priorities.
When you have considered and named your priorities, you find that your schedule, activities and day to day choices begin to fall into place. So many things call to us begging for our time and energy. Some of these things are good. Some of these things are bad. Some may fall somewhere in between. The not so busy mom considers her priorities, so that her day is not full of the meaningless but the meaningful.
4. The not so busy mom plans ahead.
Hours can get away from us. Days can get away from us. Even weeks can get away from us. Planning ahead helps our hours, days and weeks run more smoothly. Planning ahead allows us to make time for people in the midst of the daily, mundane tasks. Planning ahead allows us to live a full life.
As you consider moving past the busy, see if these are 4 traits that you presently exhibit or perhaps they are traits you are looking to develop. The not so busy mom is so much more than these 4 traits, but this is a good starting point.
What about you? Are you exhibiting or developing any of these traits?
Until next time,
Charissa
Hi Charissa,
I completely agree with the entire philosophy of your blog. We should live our lives intentionally, not busily! Everyone is so “busy” these days, parents and non-parents alike.
I just found your blog and I intend to continue following. Keep up the good work intentional mama!
Hi, Kira! I am so glad you found me!! Happy to have you following along. “Intentional” is one of my favorite words. 🙂
Excited to read your blog, too, Kira!