I just invented something.
The GUILT To-Do List
Now before you go judging me…
Oh I don’t even care – judge away.
I just need to make a point…. Guilt can be bad, but it can also be good.
False guilt is not good – like feeling guilty that someone’s feelings got hurt because they decided your compliment was a passive aggressive jab.
YOU KNOW HOW THOSE PEOPLE ARE.
They get ZERO guilts.
The guilt I’m talking about is the guilt one feels because we should feel guilty… Perhaps it’s due to an important question left unanswered… or promises undelivered… or projects and tasks that NEED to get done but really have no hard due date… maybe not ever making good on that promise to get a birthday party planned for your daughter and it is now her next birthday…
Just generally speaking, of course.
I’m talking about the stuff that cannot be dismissed that keeps you awake at night. I’m talking about the stuff that once it’s done, you feel like opening up your arms and twirling as the sunshine of hope warms your face.
And a lot of times you end up telling yourself, “Why did I wait so long? That was so easy!”
So today (or yesterday, or some other day in the past depending on when you are reading this), I decided to make a list of the GUILT. A list of the things that interrupt my sleep. The things that steal joy as thoughts of those tasks pop into my mind at any random point throughout the day and weigh me down. The stuff that makes my chest hurt… not necessarily due to the difficulty level of the task, but because I have let it go so long.
Promised photos that should have been shared 14 months ago.
I have given myself a week to complete the list. Today I accomplished 6 of the 18 items…. WHAT?!
Yep.
I am already feeling encouraged.
But honestly, by focusing on these tasks others will probably end up on a new guilt list.
I can’t do it all.
I just can’t.
I can’t add these things to the already full day(s) without making a trade.
You know how it goes:
- • If the laundry is caught up, we are probably having breakfast for dinner.
- • If my business is rockin’… laundry, dinner, bills AND kids are probably begging for attention.
I *think* I am becoming OK with the trade.
Maybe.
Ehhh.
But I do know in order for me to sleep better, I need to take care of some things.
18 12, to be exact.
I’m curious… Are you a list maker? Have you ever made a list of the things that need to get done that leave you feeling guilty?
Or are you one of those people who just gets things done and you never leave things hanging over your head and you are half-unicorn & half-rainbows.
Am I just so out of my mind I can’t even see straight?
Don’t answer that.
