I don’t know about you, but I organise my life around lists. I especially rely on my “To Do” list every day. Even if I have nothing officially scheduled for the day, I still write my list.

There are a couple of reasons why I love my lists. The first is that it gives me focus and organisation for my day. If there is a lot to do, and it seems overwhelming, I will even try to compartmentalise the tasks into an “Important and Urgent” matrix. That way I have a basis for the order in which I do them. The second reason is that, when I look at the number of ticks at the end of the day, I have a sense of accomplishment. To this end, when I complete an additional task, I add it to the list and then tick it off. Sometimes, when you think, “I have accomplished nothing today,” it simply means that you have not done what you intended. Even if you ended up going back to bed for the day, then the task accomplished is that of “Rest” or “Recovery.”

I do have a bad habit, however, of reaching the end of the day and not stopping.

A couple of years ago, I wrote about the importance of getting enough sleep. My day starts early, and my intention is always to be in bed by 10pm, with lights out at half past. I need to start the process of going to bed at 9.30pm. I know this; it makes perfect and logical sense. Inevitably, however, 9.30pm rolls around and I think, “I’ll just finish doing this…” or “I’ll just do that one last little thing…” Before I know it, another hour has passed and, again, it will be near midnight by the time I close my eyes.

It’s not just sleep that suffers, but my self-care too. The past couple of weeks have been crammed full of activities. My second daughter starts Sixth Form College this week and has needed a lot of support with her enrolment process and the course preparation work. The end of the summer break has seen a lot of clients contracting me. The Autumn Styles are already in the shops, and I need to familiarise myself with them. One of our guinea pigs is ill and needs additional care. There seemed to be no time for me to sit down quietly with a book or with my crafting supplies to create something beautiful. Inevitably my Moodscope scores suffered, and my “Buddies” were quick to point this out.

We all have tasks that are necessary. If, however, those tasks expand to take up the whole day, every day; if they encroach into our rest, relaxation or self-care time, then it’s time to reassess.

I’m setting an alarm on my phone for 9.30pm. When it pings, I shall discipline myself to leave what I am doing and go to bed.

What boundaries and disciplines do you need to give yourself?

Mary

A Moodscope member.