Lately, I’ve been a total Procrastosaurus. Yup, that’s a new dinosaur species if you didn’t know. Can you tell I have dinosaurs on my brain? My son doesn’t go a day without watching his beloved ‘Dino Dan’ and I think we have every type of dinosaur figurine they make { insert sarcasm }. Back to my point. I’ve been dragging my feet, putting off, postponing…ok, fine I’ll say it…procrastinating! All that paperwork that keeps getting piled in inconspicuous places on my desk, the necessary steps I need to take to grow my business that are overwhelming to me, the word of God and my dusty workout DVD’s calling my name, and even investing the time I need to on teaching my children have all been slapping me in the face saying ‘get it together lady’!

I’m an avid list-maker and I love checking things off the list. It makes me feel like I’ve won some sort of medal. I don’t think a family diagnosis counts, but I swear sometimes I might suffer from OCD & ADD. That reminds me, I really need to paint my toe nails and spray my half-eaten tulips with deer off. Seriously though, I find it difficult to focus my attention on one thing and go at it until it’s complete. I like to be doing ten things at once. I just feel like I’m accomplishing more…but really, I’m not. I should really consider taking the multitasking skill off my resume. Now that I’m a stay-at-home mamma it makes it that much more difficult to stay on task because the minute I decide it’s time to put the dishes away I have to go break up a screaming match over a toy only to notice a toxic smell seeping out my one year old. Maybe when I’m chasing her later I’ll run my shin into the dishwasher and remember to finish the job I started.

I’m done feeling like this though. It hit me when I started thinking about the { semi-consistent } schedule I have my kids on. I thought maybe that’s just the kind of direction this mamma needs — a schedule. I don’t really like schedules simply because I always seem to break them, but I’ve decided to give it my all and try to stick to one at least for a few weeks and see if it helps me get more things accomplished and feel better. You know, those things I’ve been procrastinating about.

So, today was the first day I got my old Procrastosaurus bones out of bed at 6:00am and actually followed a schedule to help keep me on track. Hey, even writing this blog post is part of my ‘work on business related items while the kids catch some zzz’s’ time slot. I’ll tell you what, I already feel like I have so much more energy and I’m starting to kick some butt on that dreaded ‘to do list’. If you’ve been feeling the same way I did, I encourage you to create a schedule of your own. Need some help?

The first thing I did was prioritize. Of course everyone’s priorities are different, but here’s how I kickstarted my list. For example, I feel so much better when my soul is fed by God’s word and when I surrender myself to him. If there’s something that’s got me all twisted up, there’s no way I can start my day with a positive, eager attitude until I give it to God. He will direct me in the ways I need to go. My family is my next priority. I want to set a good example for my kids and I want to show them how joyful life can be. I also want to be a positive, uplifting partner for my hard-working hubby. He is my rock and I want to be his. Exercise is another top-ranking priority. I was a college athlete and I want to find that part of who I am again. Plus, the endorphins and energy you get from moving and exercising is a kick in the pants on its own. An object in motion stays in motion, right? My mom never stops moving and I think that’s why at age 62 she’s rocking some pretty stellar biceps and has more stamina than I do! And of course, I had to mix in the day-to-day get ‘er done tasks like laundry, cleaning, etc. It’d be pretty hard to focus if my house is a disaster. Especially for this OCD, germaphobe. I hope this post gives you the motivation to not let idleness be an inhibiting force and go kick some prehistoric to-do list butt!

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
- Proverbs 13:4

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. – Proverbs 3: 5-6

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. – Proverbs 12: 25