Do You Write To-Do Lists?
What is so great about writing out to-do lists? In times like these, it is so important to have some kind of plan to stay positive and give yourself a fighting chance to overcome stress and anxiety. Last week, I shared 25 Ways to Survive Stressful Times to help give you ideas on what to do while stuck at home. I have so many different ideas on how to spend my time since I had to shut down my massage therapy office. I miss working on my clients and the feeling of satisfaction when I can provide one hour of stress and pain relief for them.
When I am not working on my blog or coaching business, I like to still keep myself busy and work on my personal growth. One of my passions is to learn new things and find exciting hobbies to keep me busy. For example, I create to-do lists to keep my mind organized so I can remember everything I want to do.
Each day brings new challenges whether it’s helping the kids with their homework, cleaning up after their messes, finding ways to keep them busy, and getting used to the new “normal” of this extra time together.
As an introvert, I need more alone time than the average person to recharge and be able to cope with the stressors of each day. So, every day I try to focus on how I can be a better “bonus” mom and partner so that we can all live in harmony. Some days it is truly exhausting! However, I try to remember the positive and that we are all healthy and blessed with a nice home to live in and have love in our hearts and wonderful friends and family.
Insights on my Daily To-Do List
Each day I wake up and read devotionals from my 2 favorite books that my mom gave me, Jesus Calling and Joyce Meyer’s Starting Your Day Right. Doing this gives me the strength to face the new day with the armor of God. It helps me set the mood of the day and helps lower the anxiety that is always simmering. I am not a morning person at all so I need some extra time before I leave the bedroom to get my head right before interacting with anyone else.
Once I feel ok to start my day, I usually eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. I have been trying to stick to a regular schedule of eating so I don’t go off track and binge. Additionally, I always try to work out in the morning to get it over with. Structure works well for me!
After my morning routine, I check my e-mails and then scroll through my business social media accounts. I have been trying to spread caring and hopeful messages each day on my social media. Then I check my website for any new comments on my posts so I can interact with the people who follow me.
Being a business owner, you really always have to stay connected a large part of the day to stay in touch with clients and followers. I don’t mind doing this because I love connecting with old and new friends!
How I Stay Motivated
Making time to work out and cook healthy meals is also an important part of my day. I try to get work projects done before dinner and then have the rest of the night to spend time with family and unwind.
In the last few weeks of being home, I have had extra time to sort out what needs to be worked on and any other projects that have been held up in the wings. It is important for me to feel somewhat productive each day and I like to be able to check stuff off my list! Here’s some stuff that I do to keep my mind busy and feel productive to ward off anxious thoughts from creeping in.
My Business To-Do List
- Develop new online group and DIY coaching programs
- Learn about Google Analytics to grow my e-mail list
- Take a class on SEO for my website
- Update my old blog posts and optimize for SEO
- Research new topics for my blog and conduct interviews with health professionals
- Update my business books and expenses
- Finish my taxes
- Stay in touch with my massage therapy clients during the shutdown
- Clean up my business social media accounts
- Create a media kit for my blogging business on Canva
- Use PicMonkey to create photos for my blog
- Take a Pinterest class on how to build my following
- Clean up my shared drive folders and organize my files
- Take the 10K Traffic Challenge course to grow my blog following
- Update my website content and try out new themes
My Personal To-Do List
- Clean the house over and over again!
- Organize the kitchen cabinets
- Shop for healthy food and some treats too!
- Bring food over to the food pantry
- Clean out my car
- Find a new personal growth class to take
- Read more books. I am currently reading a very inspirational book Tim Tebow’s- This is the Day
- Keep up with laundry
- Sort through vacation photos and do something with them!
- Take off pictures from my phone and upload to the computer
- Make a new recipe every few days
- Keep posting positive messages daily on social media accounts
- Help kids with homework
- Stay active every single day and sweat out any toxins
- Go outside every day for fresh air
- Watch some new Netflix shows – excited for the new season of Ozark!
- Watch Mass on Facebook live every Sunday morning
- Listen to one guided meditation daily
- Play more board games with the kids
- Learn about gardening and photography
- Check-in with family and friends. My college friends have been doing a Zoom “happy hour” every week and it is so nice to see their faces and vent!
- Last but not least- spend quality time with my family and always eat at least dinner together so we can chat. Relationships will surely be tested during this forced time together but praying that it will bring us all closer and stronger!
Write Out Your Goals
Have you been putting something off until a later time to work on?
Now is a great time to start working on your goals. Why not use this time and make progress on becoming a better version of yourself. You may not be a fan of writing to-do lists and that is ok! I am just sharing what helps me. What may help is looking at each of those 5 Aspects of Whole Health that I have shared in older posts– Physical, Emotional, Nutritional, Environmental, and Spiritual™©.
Take a look at how you can improve your life from that perspective and I promise you will come up with lots to keep you busy. What are some things you have been doing at home that have helped you pass the time? Work on your to-do list today! Whatever it is, I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. This too will pass 🙂
xoxo
Jill DeMasi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and a Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage stress, chronic pain, and anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.
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Looks like you have been planning and organised checklists to stay motivated
I am trying my best to stay organized 🙂
I love lists! I believe they are key to being productive. Need to work on mine.
Agreed! They help me so much even just to remember what it is I need to do 🙂
ok nothing makes me happier than a good to do list…except the check marks and crossing things out. LOL
So funny! That’s the best part to cross stuff off 🙂
This is an inspiring post!! I have struggled the last couple of weeks to stay motivated…Thank you!
Thanks, Holly! One day at a time… stay positive 🙂
Great idea to make a To-Do list to stay organized
Thanks, Lisa! I can’t live without them 🙂
Oh my! My to do lists would probably be similar, I think I’m afraid to write them out tho. haha
I know I am missing a ton of things but that’s a good start 🙂
Ah! I love this information so much! Your examples are all so helpful! Lists are a must in order to stay organized and productive!
Thanks, Hillari! I am happy you found it helpful 🙂
These are great! Staying motivated can be so hard.
Thanks, Cindy! It is a challenge for sure 🙂
Love seeing your to-do lists! It’s a great idea to keep track of what you are planning to do each day.
Thanks, Christina! It definitely helps me stay sane!
Such a great motivation! I work well with To-Do lists, but I’ve beel letting them slip. Thank you for reminding me what works best for me and getting me back in the groove!
Thanks, Kimberly! I hope it helps you get back on track!
I agree at using this time to get things with either your personal life or business or even both. Setting yourself some goals by using a checklist is a great idea Jill! Thanks for sharing ?
Thanks for reading Denise! No better time than the present to get stuff in order 🙂
It is so hard to stay motivated during this time. Watching for the news and information has derailed me!
It is really hard! I limit the news to once in the morning and then once in the evening. Turn off the TV 🙂
What a list! I tend to add things to my list just to check them off! Ha!
So do I! It can get really ridiculous sometimes!
I love writing to-do lists out and it feels so good to cross them off!
Oh yes, it does! That’s the best part 🙂
I have very similar to do lists right niw, except I’m lucky (or unlucky?) To be working still. Social work with foster homes is essential.
Good to still have a job… stay safe!
I have been a checklist person for years. Try to make them out the night before – even moreso in this environment to keep things going. A multi-tasker at heart it has helped me keep track of things but also not to take myself too seriously – let some of it go. Thanks.
Yes I agree sometimes you just can’t get to everything and have to let some of it go for another time 🙂
I can totally understand how satisfied it feels when your clients feel a relieve from pain. I am a former massage therapist myself. And sorry that you had to close your business for now. But you are doing a great job using your day to the fullest! And congratulations on the weight lost! Accomplishments must always be celebrated, no matter how small they are.
Stay safe and healthy!
Thank you, Anna! So you know that feeling- I really miss my clients 🙂
Going outside is a great suggestions. We had several great days, but today is back to rain ?
Hopefully, it will turn around soon and we can benefit from the sunny weather! Either way, I still go out even if it’s just a few minutes. until I get cold!
Great list. Working from home with my husband also working from home and the kids doing school from home, I don’t really have a list for me! There are to do lists for the kids and I just squeeze what I can in between work and school stuff.
It’s so hard to balance the kid’s stuff and our stuff. But don’t let yourself get too lost in the shuffle 🙂
Great post and I love the graph you showed here. It all makes sense it is important to know what we enjoy doing what love to do and work on it. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading, April! Hope you find some helpful insights 🙂
Great list. I especially like the tasks about doing something with vacation photos. I’ve been meaning to print mine forever and now seems like a good time.
Thanks, Jordan! I just looked through some of mine today and it made me happy to just see them again 🙂
Maybe I missed it…but are these daily checklists? When I read them, I feel overwhelmed. I do daily checklists but they are more of a to-do task list. I suppose I can add some things that would be more personal to make sure I get things done.
Hi Judean, these are just to-do lists based on what I have to and want to get done. NO way can I get any of this done in a day! Just sharing what works for me by having a guide to know what I want to get done 🙂
Like you, structure is vital here on the hill. We are extremely busy growing season has begun, catching up on home projects both inside & out, and blogging to boot. On my list today? Sewing a few masks. Thanks for sharing your list, makes me feel like I’m not alone 🙂
Thanks, Suzan. Hope you accomplish what you want to during this time 🙂
Very great idea to have physical checklists. I have many of the same on my list, but not having them physically there to check off makes them easy to miss. Thanks for this post!
Thanks, Kendra. It’s like a brain dump so I don’t forget to do anything 🙂
These are all really great ways to stay motivated during this time! Writing lists is my favorite way; thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Tara!
I am a compulsive list maker, key for me to follow through.
That’s a tough one for me too. I write the lists and then sometimes I don’t complete everything!
Such important ideas and concepts for this very difficult time! thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Jason! Hope it is helpful 🙂
Making lists are so important, I definitely need to do that soon. I keep saying I am going to make a list but get distracted with everything that needs to go on my list.
It is so easy to get distracted these days! Try to do it when you have some quiet time so you can focus 🙂
I always need a to do list helps alot.
I wouldn’t feel organized without them!
I’m an essential worker, so it’s work as usual for me. But I spent a few days home with a sick kid and getting motivated was hard because my routine is out of whack. Great tips.
Hope you stay safe and healthy out there!