We all have lots to do, right? I don’t care if you have children or you don’t, if you work or you stay home with kids, if you are in school or retired, we all have TOO MUCH TO DO.

I am, personally, very careful with my schedule.  I’m pretty good at knowing my limits and those of my family, and I’m not afraid to say no when I can.  But even though I do guard our time, sometimes the everyday chaos of life overwhelms me.

For example, I lost it on Jason last week.  It was Monday, the day that I set aside for the kids and I to stay home and get ahead on our week.  We do lots of schoolwork and housework, and I plan and do things like return e-mails and other little tasks that I may have been putting off.

On this particular Monday, my poor husband sent me an e-mail asking me to do something for him, and having that extra thing to do just put me over the edge.  I shot back a quick message telling him how overwhelmed I was feeling and informing him that he was just going to have to find someone else to do this work.  Then, when he didn’t respond back quickly enough for my liking, I sent him another message demanding he “hear me.” After his response that he did “hear me” but that he was having a really busy day at work, I continued about my frustrating Monday, anxious and worried that I couldn’t get it all done.

Well, you know what? I did get it all done that day.  I looked at my to-do list with all of the items crossed off, and I wondered why I had freaked out and added to my husbands worries, when there was really no need to. I had basically ruined everyone’s day, including my own, for no reason.

For a while now, I have felt a nudging to look at myself and my reactions to this chaotic life.  You know, it is what it is.  God created us to work and help each other and serve him.  The key is to do those things with the right heart, which is definitely where I am lacking.

As I have been reflecting on this, doing some reading and trying some different things to help myself find some balance in the chaos, I have come up with some strategies that are working well for me (well…most of the time), and I feel led to share them with you.  I’ve narrowed my ideas down and am going to share them in blog posts every two or three nights for the next couple of weeks. I would love to do a post every night, but I learned during Write 31 Days that I have to do my writing early in the morning or after we get the kids in bed at night, and (spoiler) I realize how important my sleep is for me.

Speaking of sleep….I need to go to sleep.  But I do hope you’ll check back in a couple of days and see what I’ve come up with, and I pray it will be a help to someone who is searching for a little balance.