To Do list vs. Done List

As I was thinking about what to blog about, maybe high gloss paint or an awesome new fabric I found I was interrupted with a "Moooooooommmmmmmmm" .....quickly my daydreams disappeared and off to work I went. I'm calling it work today because I can't recall one enjoyable or proud moment of parenting today.  

I then thought about a recent trip to the doctor and had an idea. I was asked by my migraine Dr. how many migraines I had last month. I guessed....maybe 12? I really had no idea because I wasn't keeping track. So she sent me home with a homework assignment, keep a migraine diary for a month. It wasn't until doing so that I realized it was much worse then I thought. 

I've been going to bed at night asking myself why I feel like a chicken with my head cut off (and yes I get that it's summer and kids are home and works busier then ever...etc etc) I decided maybe I should track my day. Like write down everything I do from the moment I wake up. Instead of making a to do list make a Done list. I've done this before but not every little thing I've done throughout the day. 

I'd like to add that for this task tracking I kept a piece of paper in the kitchen and every time I finished something I jotted it down after each task. You'll notice some have times and some don't. The times are when I remembered to look at the clock or I was curious how long it actually took me to do a task. 

I'm not sharing this to complain about my day and maybe it's more for me personally but more of a wake up for me that although I feel like I'm walking in circles accomplishing nothing,  I actually am. We all put so much pressure on ourselves as parents to make each day as fun and enjoyable for our kids as we can while also managing the house, life and work. We need to remember to take time for ourselves too. Clearly on this day there wasn't much enjoyment for either side but the next day is a new day, right?  Actually the kids had a great time playing outside and throwing stuff off the deck.

If you have a good hour or even care to read, continue on....if not scroll to the bottom where I share what I've learned from this little experience of mine. 

(This was not edited or made more dramatic this is exactly what happened on this particular day)

630am youngest comes in room day begins

Take dog out 

Make breakfast 

Feed dog

Fix the block I have on iPads because I actually need to be presentable today 

Shower and attempt to get ready with many interruptions

Race out of house before someone else needs me 

Host an Open House (the most relaxing part of the day) 

2-345 leave open house, pick up rugs for clients, return pillows, grab food 

345-415 try to organize work because my head is spinning 

430-5 youngest has a meltdown

Take dog out

Feed dog 

Another meltdown because I accidentally put the healthy orange shit on his Mac & cheese and he wanted to do it himself (irritability rearing it's ugly head at this point, stay calm) 

Wash youngest bedding because the dogs favorite place to pee is blankets laying on the floor and this is my kids favorite place to leave them 

Clean up dog accident 

Load dishwasher with dishes from last night 

Email client back

Text friend 

Take dog out (we have a puppy so they go out a lot) 

Clean kitchen 

Clean up another accident because dog pees every 5 min 

Text friend 

Dog chasing younger son-separate them and get her pb on bone to keep her content 

Get lemonade for demanding 6 yr old

Loud cries come from LR because demanding 6 yr old took toxic Mac & cheese in there and dog has her head buried in it 

Take dog out and clean up yard 

Frantically text hubs to get more toxic Mac & cheese 

Read an article on people.com (2 min)

517-525 put laundry away 

525-540 empty trash

540-601 put more laundry away 

Screaming 6 yr old needs a band aid 

Take dog out

Make dinner 

Text friend 

Switch laundry 

Youngest has diarrhea 

Put dishes away (I washed my hands) 

Pick up kitchen 

Tell kids not to throw cushions off the deck 

"Moooommmmm diarrhea!!!!" 

Run out of tp

Run downstairs

Ugh....dinner in the oven 

Run upstairs 

Crate dog because she's trying to get in bathroom 

Run downstairs to save dinner because I'm sure this first one won't be good enough and they'll demand a second where I'll say no and then they'll cry at 830 because they're hungry, then I'll say too bad go to bed and it will drag bedtime out 30 min longer 

Clean out fridge because it hasn't been done in weeks 

"Diarrhea!!!!!" 

Found leftover lemon pound cake from last night and did a little happy dance in my head 

Go to pack lunch for water park and realize we're out of snack bags 

Clean out car

636 pack cooler 

Switch laundry 

Cut up peppers I found & froze before they went bad with the last ziploc we had (it was a tight squeeze but they fit, remember I'm out of ziploc bags)

Take dog for walk with kids 

Empty dishwasher 

Straighten kitchen 

Text friends about water park plans

730-8 put laundry away 

Find appropriate bathing suit for water park 

Find socks for hubs (least fav chore is matching socks and I always get asked at the best time and it's nothing against him he's just getting ready for the next day) 

Kids showers 

Read kids book (trying to redeem myself for the day)
Attempt to do a little puppy training then put her to bed

Take out trash 

Go through mail until 938 

Fold towels and pack pool bag 

Quick pick up of house 

Go to bed at 1138 and have an awful nights sleep 

But no big deal were only headed to a relaxing water park in the morning for the day!!!!

Here is what I've learned from this little experiment of mine:

-I don't stop all day 

-I am actually accomplishing things even though I don't feel like I am

-writing things down actually kept my ADHD self moving 

-I really need to do a load of laundry a day (if you've ever read the FlyLady she says a load a day keeps the chaos away and I have kept that saying in my head I just need to stick with it)

- my youngest drinks too much pool water 

-I need to do a better job of keeping a good grocery list so I'm not running out of things 

-I now have proof for the hubs if he ever asks me what I did all day although he knows what it's like 

-Next time I'd like to keep track of how many times I go up and down the stairs

FYI: Although keeping track of every little thing you do can lead to irritability, I think it's a good idea to jot down things you did accomplish. For me it was realizing I put away 5 loads of laundry. 

I'm curious if you've ever done this and what your prefer. To Do List or a Done List?