A Post-Vacation Vacation Required...

My 13-year old niece just left on Saturday after a 9 day visit. She is a water-fiend, so we took her to every swimming spot we knew... most days it was two spots. But there was one day when I managed to take her to five different spots. I am tuckered out. On top of that, my regular schedule went out the window and now I am behind the 8-ball on a number of fronts and feeling rather overwhelmed.

I need a vacation after my vacation... although I don't know that hosting a 13-year old is really a vacation. But, you know what I mean... All of the regular stuff on my plate got put on old while I was on "vacation" and now... not only am I exhausted and in need of a real vacation but... I am falling further behind on various fronts. Not a good scenario...

I keep reminding myself that it's all about small steps... and it's true. If I write down everything that I need to get done, I just collapse in a quivering puddle of indecision and overwhelm. It's like I need a filter... or something to limit my to-do list to the next item... That's it... just tell me what my next item is and... I will do it. So, perhaps the problem is not so much too-much-to-do but rather... an inability or unwillingness to figure out which is the most important... or which is next. When faced with a mountain, the next step is just... take the next step. Heck... I could write all my to-do items on slips of paper, toss them in a hat and then pluck one out at random and be further ahead!

I've also noticed that my habit of blocking off time in my calendar for certain important things, like writing, has fallen by the wayside... so that explains a lot as well. A lack of routine, for me, is a recipe for overwhelm...

And I remind myself that we are in a pandemic... the early stages of a pandemic. This thing is a marathon... not a sprint... and it makes sense that it's going to impact me. Not just once... but ongoingly. So... keep my focus on the next small step... which is the one right in front of me... not everything else that is looming. And when that small step is done, focus on the next one.