Inspiration: Feeling our best about what we do

I had an out of body experience the other day - or something like that.  I was reading the Questions and Answers section of the December 2011 Ensign.  The question was, "How do I achieve balance in my life given all the demands on my time?"  I thought, "Oh I have several suggestions for that, lets see what other people said."  And I started reading.  About halfway through the article there was a contribution from a sister named Rebecca Shaw. I have no idea who this women is, but it's like I was reading my own words.  She even added an aside in parenthesis.

Here is what she wrote.  All I can say is, Amen Sister!

I have come to realize that our lives aren’t ever perfectly balanced. There will always be times when one thing is more important than another. Now that I understand this, I no longer feel burdened by not getting everything done. The following strategies help keep me from feeling overwhelmed:

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  I write down the things I need to do. The list often is shorter on paper than it feels swimming around in my mind.
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  I don’t try to get everything done in a single day. I commit myself to only one major project a day. If it’s laundry day, that’s the project. If I feel I have enough time and energy to get other things done, I do them, but I don’t worry if they need to be put off to another day.
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  My husband and I work from a job chart. Our children are too young to be included on the chart at this point, but my husband and I use the chart to track daily and weekly household chores. I like this because it helps me realize the things I regularly do. I also appreciate getting help from my husband on jobs that I often don’t have time to complete.
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  Finally, I have a night for me. On Tuesday nights, my husband enjoys time with our children while I focus on tasks I wouldn’t be able to otherwise. I have used that time to work on homework for a course I’m taking, to write Christmas letters, or to catch up on journal writing. (We also make sure that my husband gets time for his personal projects, too.)

With these strategies and my change of perspective, I have reduced my stress level. I believe that “doing our best” is really feeling our best about what we do.