I Don’t Know What I’m Going to Do Today

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.

Ever get overwhelmed by your to do list and rant and rave about it? Yeah, me, too. But, here’s a different way of looking at it.

I Don't Know What I'm Going to Do Today - Ever get overwhelmed by your to do list and rant and rave about it? Yeah, me, too. But, here's a different way of looking at it.

Want to save this post?

Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I'll send you time- and money-saving tips every week!

Save Recipe

Years ago when we first got cable, my kids discovered the Disney program, Phineas and Ferb. It quickly became a favorite for the whole family, us parents included. The kids were all under 12, the prime target age for the show, and were all into singing the theme song or quoting lines from their favorite episodes. A popular refrain in our home, usually from FishPapa was “I know what we’re going to do today, Ferb.”

As a mom who homeschools and works at home, I often pine for those days when there was “nothing to do” and I had to find something to do. There is NEVER nothing to do!

When did this happen, anyway? I guess it must have been college when there was always something I could or should be doing. I’m not the only one, right?

I Don't Know What I'm Going to Do Today - Ever get overwhelmed by your to do list and rant and rave about it? Yeah, me, too. But, here's a different way of looking at it.

Saturday morning, after breakfast was served and kids had done kitchen jobs, I escaped to my room for some journaling and quiet time as well as some planning for the day. As I contemplated the 12 hours between that moment and bedtime — I mapped it all out on a piece of paper because I’m a visual person — I found that there really weren’t enough hours in my day.

At least not for the things that needed doing or the things that I thought were valuable and important for the Saturday in question:

  • prep lunch
  • clean out fridge
  • plan meals for the week
  • shop for missing items
  • hockey game
  • make pizza dough
  • clean off my desk
  • pizza and movie night
  • write posts for the week
  • do some freezer cooking

Clearly, these were all good things, good things that weren’t going to fit into the space of 12 hours. Not without some very clever physical and mental gymnastics. And honestly? I’m getting too old for all that.

My typical MO is to feel frustrated that I can’t do it all, to bemoan the fact that there is just soooooo much to do.

I Don't Know What I'm Going to Do Today - Ever get overwhelmed by your to do list and rant and rave about it? Yeah, me, too. But, here's a different way of looking at it.

But in that glorious moment, God gave me thankfulness. Thankfulness for all these good choices. The things on my list are all things that I truly enjoy.(Even the messy desk and cluttered refrigerator are good choices because their end result is beautiful and brings me joy.)

I can’t say that the Pollyanna moment came from some stroke of brilliance on my part or that I will always feel this way every time I am overwhelmed by what’s on my plate. At least for this week, my prayer then was/is simple:

Thank you, Lord, for all the good things that I can choose from today. Help me to choose wisely.

Unlike Phineas and Ferb, I don’t know on any given day what I’m going to do, as in what I’ll actually accomplish. I can’t predict whether or not the day — or my children — will obey. I may start out with a great list, but inevitably life happens.

So, for this week, I’m choosing to be thankful, thankful that there are so many good things on my plate to do and not to do, as the case may be.

Do you rant? Or can you see the good today?

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

4 Comments

  1. Thank you for the reminder, being thankful also opens the door to peace!

  2. I too feel easily overwhelmed at times. I look forward to the weekend, but when it comes I realize that I have meal planning, freezer cooking, cleaning and so much more that eats up my weekend.

  3. I love your thoughts! Gratitude is a great cure for many troubles. I never thought of it in this context.To help me see the good in each day I try to write three things I’m grateful for every day (when I make time for writing, which has been more miss than hit lately–oy!). In that process, unless I’m really pressed for time, I do more than list three things: I try to be detailed about why I’m grateful for this thing or that person, and I make sure I acknowledge God’s hand for the blessing. This really helps me shift if I’m in a rough spot, and if I’m not having a hard time, it is good for my soul.

    Back to your other questions . . . do I rant? Yes, oh yes. I had an epiphany the other day that I need to make a some sticky notes about and leave around my house to help me remember in the moment. My husband was telling me a story about a women on some show who was on her way to an interview, when a man with his arms full was in her way, struggling to open the door. Rather than help the man (who was planted there on purpose to test her character), she stood behind the man, rolling her eyes and tapping her foot. I thought of how HE was the important thing right then, not getting the other thing done. And then it hit me how I can be like that woman with my son. Sometimes I just want him to OBEY RIGHT NOW, so I can get the important things done–and I can get very angry and impatient with his acting out. But really, he IS the important thing. He is more important than almost anything else in my day. Treating him kindly to help him learn life’s lessons (or stopping my flow to play with him) is much more important than finishing cleaning or making phone calls or what have you. So yes, sometimes I rant, because I put my agenda above his needs. I certainly notice a difference in myself and him when I remember that he IS the important thing.

    Thanks so much for your uplifting posts!

  4. This is just what I needed to hear!! I was so overwhelmed with so much to do yesterday, and didn’t have the physical strength to finish it all. I get so frustrated sometimes.. And this really puts things in perspective. And by the way, congrats on your running! Running is SO hard!!!