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| My first "Did List" |
I'm a perfectionist...but not the "good" kind of perfectionist whose home is spotless and who throws perfect birthday parties for her children, cooks gourmet meals every night, and makes homemade Valentine cards. I'm the "bad" kind of perfectionist who defeats herself daily by thinking, "oh, whatever I do will never live up to my standards, so why even bother trying?"
(That's the kind of perfectionist who still has a couple blood drops on the kitchen floor from cutting herself on a cheese grater on December 29.)
To-do lists don't work for me. They grow and grow, and make me feel more and more defeated when I don't get enough items crossed off them.
I'm sure I'm not the first one to think of this idea--but as I was doing my kitchen chores the other day, the words "Did List" just popped into my head. Interesting! It made me think about all the times my husband has come home from work and asked, "so, what did you do today?" and I would answer truthfully, "I don't remember," even though I'd be exhausted and spent from whatever I had done all day. The "Did List" would be a concrete reminder of the day's accomplishments, and hell, it might even motivate me to get more done in order to make the list longer, right?
So, I've been keeping a "Did List" every day for a week now, and I have to admit, it is a motivator for me. Fellow perfectionists, give it a try!
Welcome to The Sunday Parenting Party, hosted by
Dirt and Boogers,
Play Activities,
Crayon Freckles,
Taming the Goblin,
The Golden Gleam,
Prickly Mom, and
The Tao of Poop. The SPP is place for readers to find ideas on nurturing, educating, and caring for children, as well as honest posts about the stresses of being a parent or caregiver. Links to reviews and giveaways are welcome as long as they are relevant to the topic. All parenting philosophies are welcome with one exception: please do not link to posts promoting physical discipline, as this is something we would feel uncomfortable having on our blogs. (P.S. By linking up you agree that your post and photos are Pinterest, Sulia, G+ and FB friendly. We will be showcasing ideas on The Sunday Parenting Party Pinterest board.)
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I like it! When my first was in her first year I would just try to make sure I'd done one "thing" each day. One something that made me feel accomplished, like cleaning a room or sewing something. I had my bar set real low...
ReplyDeleteYep...at least you had a bar! :)
DeleteSuch a good idea. When my little girl was a baby, I would get to the end of the day and congratulate myself for all the small things I'd done like getting out of the house AND putting a load of washing on, which felt like big achievements at the time. I've got out of the habit of it as she's got bigger but it really did help me to feel I was making some headway during the week, even if it was only very teeny things!
ReplyDeleteThat's good that you always had things in perspective. It's always been in my nature to be down on myself, so I guess I needed something concrete to look at. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteCan I tell you how much I love this post and how much I relate to it? Talk about turning lemons into lemonade! Can I borrow this idea? I think you should patent it. Great post!
ReplyDeleteGo for it, Rachel! I've been doing it for almost two weeks now, and when I go back and read it at the end of the day, I actually feel good about myself! Who knew? :)
ReplyDelete