Bogged down.
Do you ever feel that way? Bogged down with little things that keep you from doing what you really want to do.
I have felt a bit of that today. I wanted to do a lot of writing this afternoon to be prepared for getting back to work next week. I wanted to start off ahead instead of just staying right on top of it all (and usually falling behind). But little things have bogged me down.
As I evaluate my afternoon, I realize that some of those things were necessary and will actually help me as I get back to work next week. But other things were delays of my own making. Procrastination. Zoning. Frittering away minutes here and there on little things that do not matter.
It makes me think that maybe we should take a moment to stop and consider that bogged down feeling. Here are a few points that I want to ponder as I begin this new year.
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What does this bogged down feeling keep me from accomplishing? What do I want to do with my time? And, above all, do those things just come from selfish desires, or do they have eternal significance? Once I have considered these questions, I need to sit down and articulate how exactly I want to use my time. I need to have a focused purpose.
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The next set of questions relates to my commitments. What are my current obligations? Am I over-committed? If so, how can I simplify? What are my priorities and how do those priorities compare to my current obligations? What things are distracting from my priorities and therefore need to go? What things cannot go, but need to be minimized in whatever way possible?
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Now comes the most challenging of the questions. In what ways am I wasting my time? What leaves me feeling distracted and a bit ADD when I attempt to accomplish things? How many times do I check Facebook, e-mail, or my phone while I am trying to write a blog post or article? How many little things do I allow to delay me before I actually sit down at the sewing machine to work on a project? How often do I flounder around between tasks because I didn’t set aside 20 minutes to plot out my week?
I’ll be honest with you…I’m tired of feeling bogged down. I’m so blessed to be a homeschooler. I thoroughly enjoy my job with Home Educating Family. Writing is an immense pleasure, whether it is for my own blog or publication elsewhere. Sewing, knitting, and crocheting for my family and for gifts delight me. But many of these joys are robbed because I allow myself to be bogged down by things that are not priorities.
Removing those things that bog us down requires diligence and discipline. That means hard work. But it is worth it!
Some people pick words at the beginning of each year to guide their focus through that year. I’ve never done that before, but I think my focus this year will be “removing the bog.” I look forward to discovering much more freedom in my life and schedule in 2014. Will you join me? Let’s discover the joy of not being bogged down!
Not Quite Ordinary 