Stop Trying to Do Everything!

from Daddy Rod McCoy
Last night I came home from a cross-country trip (the fourth trip this month), and my apartment was a mess.  Something you need to know about me: maybe because I’m a Virgo, but I prefer my apartment to be clean, especially when I come back from travel.  There’s something about a neat and tidy space that helps my spirit calm down and relax after spending time away from home.
Last night was not the case.
I came home to dirty dishes in the sink.  I came home to comforters completing their air drying and needing to be put away.  I came home to the rest of the laundry that had not been put away.
Needless to say, I was frustrated at the work I had to do, after hours of travel, before I could relax and go to sleep.
Then I remembered: The day I was leaving town, I figured I could get a lot of work done since I was leaving in the evening.  I did not get a lot of stuff done prior because I was exhausted (literally) from a business trip the week before and the work I had to do (both professional and personal) immediately following that.  I thought I could magically squeeze in packing, cooking, cleaning and laundry.  Come to find out, I could not.
Looking back, I did not need to do it all.  The laundry (which was the most time-consuming) could have waited until I returned.  The dishes in the sink could have been placed in the dishwasher.  I could have just focused on the cooking and the packing; I would have had plenty of time to leisurely go to the train station and leisurely wait for the train, instead of barely catching it with only a few minutes to spare before it left the station.
To borrow from a movie title: My lesson here is that I do not have to do everything, everywhere, all at once.  Looking at my week, I am pacing myself.  Today was one meeting, some emails and working out.  Tomorrow, I will complete a report and go to the gym.  Thursday is a day of two personal errands, a meeting and the gym.  Friday is the day of personal fun, no meetings or errands.  Saturday is for gardening and cooking.  As I pace myself with the affirmation that “I do not have to do everything today”, I feel less panicked and overwhelmed.  (This is great, because when I feel overwhelmed, I get nothing done.)
In fact, I feel much better about myself.  I hope this helps you as well.
Follow Daddy Rod on his website:rodneymccoy.org and and check out his TikTok has more clips of similar insights (tiktok.com/@sohelpmerod)