How often do you find yourself in a viscious cyle of trying to catch up, but all the while just continuing to chase your tail, and not doing things as well as you know you can, or as thoroughly as you’d like?
That’s where I find myself today!
Running out the door to pick my daughter up from school, I left a half finished blog post, a not even started daily IG post, and absolutely zero house chores completed. Some touched on…none done.
How did I get here?
I think my head swims with ideas and I try to get them all out at once. I have found myself in the middle of an attempt at a month long IG campaign, 3 weekly blog series, and well…you know, the rest of my life still moving at a pace no one can possibly keep up with. Is it OCD? No, I don’t think so. I think it’s more an ADHD issue where you just have too many thoughts, and then hyperfocus on too many of them all at once…and then, at least for me, I tend to get frustrated and beat myself when I can’t seem to finish anything.
I was working at a pretty good pace, but if you read any of my posts at all, you probably already know that I’m rarely actually fully caught up or ahead of the game I created for myself!
And then Spring Break happened. And my husband was on vacation. There were people here. And activity. And appointments. And (GASP!) there was family time. Remeber that? Unplanned, unforced, unquarantined actually by choice family time? Yea…it’s still a thing that we should at least try to do…
In the meantime, the work tasks just waited. Waited until it was quieter. Waited until I wouldn’t be the one neglecting or ingnoring everyone. So, it basically never got done. Most of it, anyway. And now here we are – another Monday that looks like I’ll be lucky if I finish my post by dinner time, much less the graphics that need to go with it, and the accompanying social media posts and emails, etc…
Now what?
On the way out the door, I kind of said to myself – screw it. If it doesn’t get finished, it doesn’t get finished. I’ll finish it later and move on to Tuesday’s post.
The problem with that, for me anyway, is I’ll do the same thing tomorrow. I won’t actually start on Tuesday’s post until around 9 or 10 am, and I’ll be basically right back where I started.
So, I decided to just STOP. Stop trying for the week. Stop trying to keep the series flowing…todays, and Tuesday’s, and Thursday’s. And just journal for the week. Well, maybe not Thursday’s. There’s a video I need to finish editing that I had hoped to post 2-3 weeks ago…so, maybe I’ll work on that one. And only that one.
What’s not working?
Trying to write three different continuous series’ (serieses? what is the plural of series?) as they come…my brain is utterly fatiqued. I can’t seem to remember what I already wrote about – I can remember the main topic, but not how much detail I went into. I have an outline of what to cover next, but not how much detail I plan to go into. I’m spending too much time reviewing MY OWN WORK to get the rest of my work done! Yup. Chasing my own tail.
What can do instead?
Just. Stop.
Or not. That’s not really an option.
I can focus this week on FINISHING and SCHEDULING the Monday Series. Collecting the information I need, gathering the thoughts I have in my own mind, creating the graphics, and, finally, scheduling all of the posts and emails – or at least putting them in draft mode so they’re ready to go.
If I finish that, I can start working to the Tuesday Series…and so on, and so forth.
If I don’t, I can just keep on trucking on Wednesday.
Why I’m ok with this?
I’ve basically created an amazing position for myself…I blog, I sell hair accessories, I really love making videos and fun graphics (at least I think they’re fun). But, if I’m working TOO HARD and TOO MANY HOURS, what is the actual point? I’ve lost site of the goals for the tools… I mean, I love the tools…tremendously…but they are not the actual goals…
Also, not very many people actual read my blog…yet…I’ve had some pretty great (and encouraging) readership lately, and I’m thrilled for that – I don’t want to lose the momentum…but, the reality is, where I’m at today? It’ not really going to make THAT much of a difference. I’m not thinking less of my blog than I should, I’m working the reality of the stats into the decisions that I make.
I’ve already added to my notes, and created a couple of basic draft posts (yes, I do actually take my own advice…or share with you advice that works for me – see this post if you haven’t already: Simple Blog Series Hack for the Easily Distracted Writer .
Also, as I was sitting idle in the car line knowing I would come home and pound out this post…I checked my email – only to find the post below in my inbox…and it just validated everything I had already thought! Be sure to check it out – Jason has some really great thoughts and ideas! In this post, he talks about focusing on your GOALS and not your TOOLS, and on writing your ideas down so that you don’t lose them…
Is this you?
I’d love to know – have you found yourself in the same cycle?
What did you do to get out of it?
What advice can you share with us to STOP chasing our tails and get things done…but not so many things that we’re losing our minds?
I pray this post has motivated you to take stock and really look closely at your goals, your work habits, the methods to your madness and your toolbox…that’s what I have done today!
