How this Gen Xer Makes Small Progress Without Guilt

This may come as a surprise to you but I enjoy structure. Since I am a home organizer, that’s likely not shocking info. With that, I know that I feel accomplished and joyful if I can string together a loose calendar for each day or at least a to-do list. On the days when I get a couple things done on that list, I go to sleep feeling productive and happy. I understand that people my age (Gen X) only tend to feel like a “good person” when they are being productive and that’s what’s led me to feel generally icky for these last few months. That is actually part of the problem though. Am I not a whole person if I accomplish nothing in a day? Did I waste a precious and finite resource by sitting and reading all day? I’m not sure I know the answer. Am I the only one that feels this way?

The things that seem to help me are below:

1) Have something to look forward to - maybe it’s a concert in the spring, a vacation, a lunch date with a friend - having something to look forward to on the calendar seems to help me. It doesn’t matter how big or small the thing is (I get excited when my kids are planning to visit during the weekend). Just focusing on that future thing can pull anyone out of a weird funk.

2) Plan at least one thing per day - making a to-do list may sound terrible, but my “one thing” has been to order groceries or to put something into the mail. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, it’s just a thing I can accomplish that helps me feel like I did something meaningful.

3) Keep surroundings as calm as possible - when I am “going through it” like I am right now, I prefer my house quiet and calm. My dog barks a lot. So we try our best to figure out ways to help her not do that (she has a thunder shirt on right now - we will try anything). A calm environment to me is a tidy environment. To me, if I am dealing with a cluttered space, I need to deal with it before I can focus on other things. Not everyone is like that, but we each have our own thing that makes us feel calm and serene. If you have a chore or an errand on your mind, getting that thing accomplished will help you more than you know.

4) Keep a running list - As homeowners, as parents, as adults we all have A LOT on our to-do lists. I keeping a running list of the things that need to be done around the house and add to it as I think of things. Adding to it takes that thing out of my mind and gets it to a place where I check frequently (my phone in this case). Sometimes I get a small window of time and I am able to get something done that I thought would take longer than it did.

Whether it’s Gen X guilt or some other reason that is keeping you busy this time of year, I hope to alleviate some of your stress by offering these tips. Also know that not being busy is ok too. Take some time to read, pray, meditate or even stare at the wall 😆 It might be refreshing and just what you need in the moment.