Three Things

As a new mom, what I’m finding incredibly challenging is accepting unfinished business. As an entrepreneur and small business owner, I want to tackle everything right now. Now that I am home full time it seems one thing crossed off the to-do list leads to five more added. I’ll clean out my inbox and see a corner of my office that obviously hasn’t seen a swiffer duster since the Bush era. It’s like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole, and it was leaving me feeling unsatisfied each day. I knew I had to put a stop to this, or the frustration would eat my alive. I read about this successful entrepreneur who made a point to do three things each day. No matter what else happened in those 24 hours, she’d say “I want to do these three things”, and not “I have to”. I took this for a spin, and it has been fantastic. Each evening I write on a virtual post-it three things I want to tackle the next day. One must be business related and one must be personal. The first benefit is that it keeps me focused; I veer off-course much less often. The second is the sense of gratification at the end of the day, knowing that I accomplished the three things I committed to that morning. Most days I get more than 3 things done, of course, but I’m learning to set myself up for success and not disappointment. So if you’re a new mom, an old mom, or just an overwhelmed human being in need of a pat on the back, I highly recommend giving this a shot. Now it’s on to folding laundry and working on a new client quote.

Finley’s objection to me taking notes on this blog post idea during our playtime.