If you are a regular reader around here, you may remember last March when I put a stop to all our extra-curricular activities...no more morning Bible study at church, no more swimming lessons, no more field trips, no more evening outings...NOTHING.
It was a much needed break from the crazy schedule we had become slaves to. And I noticed freedom right away.
Our calendar and lives can easily and quickly become cluttered with too many activities. Even good things can become clutter. All the things we quit last March were good things (Bible study, swim lessons, field trips), but they were making us run around and be crazy and tired. I stopped the good things and found something better.
Do you feel busy? Over-extended? Stretched to the limit?
Take a good, hard look at your calendar and commitments and decide what can go. Maybe you feel like you can't let go of anything, but think for a moment what would really happen if you just said no.
Life would go on. Sure...you might let some people down (including yourself), but I bet it wouldn't be as bad as you think it would be.
As I type this right now, I'm realizing how much I need to hear this message. I've been feeling a little overwhelmed this fall and I need to decide what to cut out. I need to start saying "no" again. I'm making a commitment right here - right now - to not add another thing to my calendar for November or December. With the days getting shorter and the weather getting cooler, it's a good time to hunker down, cozy up and stay home.
Every person - every family - is going to have different limits. We are very active on the weekends. With church, hiking and other adventure activities, we aren't home much on the weekends. Because of this, I need to be home the majority of the rest of the week so I can keep the home running in an orderly fashion.
I dare you to say no to everything for an entire week (or month!) and see how it feels. We drop everything when we are sick so we can recover and heal. Why not consider our business an ailment and drop everything so we can rest and recover.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
You have taken a bold step! :) I had no vehicle at home for several months, and so I stayed home with my three little ones. Now that I have one again, I've found myself going out a bit too much. Tuesday, homeschool co-op. Thursday, swimming. Another day, errands. My home suffers, and it's stressful trying to keep up. It was not too pleasant not being able to go anywhere, but I know I need to set limits.
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