Things break, dust accumulates, life happens around me and it never seems to let up. No matter where I look in my house, I can find something that needs my attention whether it’s the dust bunnies under the bed, the leaking faucet in the bathroom or the broken slat I just found on our futon. I can never get it all done because there is always something more. And, of course, there is caring for my husband which always has to come first. That may explain why it often feels like I am always working on stuff and never getting anything done.

The thing is, I live in an older house and things are going to break so it is impossible to actually stay ahead of everything. I could push more, spend more of my days trying to get to it all, but to what end? I would simply frustrate and exhaust myself, because I know there will always be something more to do. It is a never ending cycle that I need to break free of. My chores are scheduled around my husband’s care which isn’t always predictable, he needs my help when he needs it regardless of what else I might be working on. Breaks I take to care for him don’t meant the task goes away, they do often mean it doesn’t get done. I need to understand that this state of constant disorder in my life is okay.

I find that using time restraints sometimes works. If I tell myself that I am going to spend 20 minutes working on tasks and share that thought with my husband, I can usually get at least 1 thing done. I am also learning to prioritize my time and accept that there will always be things that don’t get done. Most of all I have learned that at the end of my day I need to be able to say “enough” and congratulate myself for what I have accomplished, not worry about what is left to do. That’ll be a task for tomorrow.