Would you be interested in a strategy that is effective in even the busiest seasons of life?
A while back, my cousin Katy shared a post with me. While I don’t remember the exact wording, the point resonated with the busy season of life that I am currently experiencing.
For the past several weeks, the gist of the post has been rattling around in my brain. What emerged is what I consider an effective life strategy for even the busiest seasons of life.
I have dubbed the strategy, do what you can when you can.
During the busiest times of life, it is easy to focus on the things on your to do list that are remaining untouched.
Focusing on all the tasks going undone tends to drain any available mental and physical reserves.
Overwhelm sets in and even less gets accomplished.
Nothing that you do can add hours to your day.
However, implementing the strategy of doing what you can when you can, will aid in minimizing stress and allow you to accomplish far more than you would think possible.
When can you start using this strategy?
Start using this strategy now, today, this minute.
The only requirement is a shift in thinking.
Shift your focus from what you can’t do, to what you can do.
As soon as you do that, you’ve jumpstarted the strategy.
Where can this strategy be used?
The beauty of this strategy is that it can be practiced pretty much anywhere.
The possibilities are endless but here are a few areas it helps me the most.
Around the house
In the kitchen
Don’t have time to clean the kitchen? Clean one counter. Don’t have time to clean one counter, put two dishes in the dishwasher.
(Incidentally, this was exactly what gave birth to this entire blog!)
In the bathroom
You may not have time to clean the bathroom, just make it a habit to pick up one thing every time you make a visit to the room.
Doing laundry
If you can’t wash, dry, fold and put away a load of laundry, do like my friend, Whitney, does. Each time she walks past the laundry basket, she folds three pieces of laundry. By the end of the day, she has a load ready to put away.
Decluttering
The desire to declutter a closet may exist in your heart. But the desire to do it does not always coincide with the time to take on a full project.
Resist the urge to do nothing at all.
Instead, pull out one item and put it in the donation bin.
Cleaning your vehicle
Personally, I have many weak areas, but my vehicle is probably one of my weakest areas.
I have been told, repeatedly, just throw out all the trash when you get gas.
Make use of random minutes
Do what you can when you can is a great strategy for taking advantage of random minutes.
When you’re waiting for the microwave to ding, instead of scrolling social media, load a couple of dirty dishes into the dishwasher.
Exercising
If exercise has went by the wayside, make a habit of parking in a far-away spot and walking a little extra.
You are practicing doing what you can when you can.
Routines and predictability are great.
In fact, I thrive on them. Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately), life is anything but routine and predictable.
If you are going through a season of life that feels more like a hurricane, take a deep breath and simply do what you can when you can.
This season too shall pass, and you might be surprised to see how well your survived after all.
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