I have two concurrent needs. I need to feel productive, like I am making progress and accomplishing what I need to get done. I also need to feel restful and rested.
I want work without the stress.
Rest without losing momentum.
I think it is possible! Here's what I'm doing to feel productive AND restful.
Don't Sit Down
Any marathon runner can tell you that taking advantage of momentum is key making it to the finish line. So I just don't sit down while I'm in a work mode! I put the baby on my back, type or write standing up at the kitchen island, keep my shoes on if I'm planning on hanging laundry or working in the garden.
Avoiding the start and stop of activity simplifies your entire to-do list.
Keep It Moving
It's not the big tasks that fill up your day, it's all the tiny little things. The laundry basket waiting to be brought upstairs, the books meant to go back to the bookshelf, food prep for multiple meals. I can't always do all my tasks in one big batch, so for those daily tasks I keep it moving!
I rarely go upstairs or downstairs with empty hands. I do things as close to when I notice them/think of them as possible. It's all part of keeping the momentum going.
Write It Down
How many times have you come out of the store and forgotten the two things you went in there to get? Or tried to remember all the appointments, pick up times, tasks, and things you wanted to talk to your spouse about in your head, only to forget most of them?
Stop avoiding your tools, and write things down! Get yourself a planner, make a bullet journal, utilize Google calendar. Spill out all the things you want to do, need to do, have to remember into whatever system you want to use. Lessen your own mental load!
Decide What Matters
Now look at your list and decide what matters. What areas need attention the most urgently? What things must be done every day? What are your long term projects?
If all of it is important, than none of it is important. Pick your things!
Break It Down
Breaking down tasks is the difference in achieving goals, and spinning your wheels. Every task, or goal, is something that can be broken down into clear steps.
I like to break things down by goal area. I have home, education, artistic, blog, marriage, family, and spiritual categories. Each month I pick two things in each category that I want to accomplish to feel like I'm moving forward in that category. Some things stay the same each month (regular confession is still a habit I am working on), some things change regularly. Be as specific as you can or need.
Build In Rest
Production is not possible without rest! A good farmer knows you cannot grow good crops if you exhaust the soil, a fallow time is needed. Define what is restful to you - with the understanding that this is a DAILY activity. Rest is not a once in a while thing.
I take the first hour of nap time as my rest time. I do not check email or social media. If any kids are not napping, they may play quietly or read books by themselves. That's my time to pray, read, sew, dream. We have worked hard to make this time for rest as part of our family culture. It was not a smooth thing to attain, but I cannot sing it's praises enough!
Enjoy
Find the time and distance to enjoy what you are working on! Sometimes I deliberately do something visually pleasing, like declutter a section of a room or make progress on a craft, just so I can see it over and over and enjoy the fruits of my labor. Not all, or even most, of our work gives us warm fuzzy feelings or grateful feedback. It's nice to give yourself a gift of pleasing work that doesn't disappear within hours.
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Here's some other posts you might enjoy.
ACHIEVING QUIET WHEN YOU HAVE A BUSY LIFE
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Linking up with This Ain't the Lyceum for 7 Quick Takes.
How do you combine rest and productivity? What does rest mean to you? What does it take for you to feel productive?
This is an excellent topic for moms! It does seem that there is a trade-off between productivity and rest, but if we are smart about work, we get both. Breaking down a big task into smaller tasks and scheduling in rest during the day, yup! Thank you for the reminders :)
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