I felt a tug in my heart. 

So. Much. To. Do.

On every front. 

So much to do for my home, for my kids, for their schooling, for my marriage, and for my business.

Oh yes, and for the baby. God bless Ivy. Something about her needing to eat multiple times every day and night.

In fact, apparently everyone was expecting to eat today.

I know you’ve been there. You feel pulled in 7 different directions and it gets exhausting.

And confusing, right?

So many hats to wear – but which one is right for today? Which one is right for RIGHT NOW?

On one hand, all you want to do is to get cracking on your business to do list. 

And when you do, it feels amazing and good and you’re in the zone and knocking it out and making it happen.

Finally – RESULTS. Things marked off a list. #MEASURABLEPROGRESS

And then.

You look up and the mom guilt floods your heart when you realize that you haven’t connected with the kids in a meaning ful way, other than to toss them a granola bar or slice up an apple, (in fact, what *are* they up to anyway?).

And lets not get started on the house. The sink is full, laundry has turned mountainous and toilets don’t clean themselves, you know.

Oh and did you figure out what’s for dinner? Nope. Meat’s still frozen.

What can be done?!

So far, I’ve only found one solution for this continual state of tension, for this seemingly endless pull in opposite directions.

That solution is this: Compartmentalization.

What do I mean? For me “Compartmentalization” basically looks like giving myself permission to fully tend to and focus on certain areas of life at specified times while letting everything else go.

Yep. Letting everything else go.

Because we can’t do it all.  

What does it look like?

Compartmentalization means that when I sit down with my To Do list, I don’t necessarily plan all the things for all the hats I’m wearing at the same time. It means that I’ll focus on Tasks for ONE area and really work on getting in the zone for that area alone.

It means that certain days or parts of the week are dedicated to focusing on the kids or meal planning or business or my marriage.  

So, for instance, we homeschool, right? So in the mornings I put on my blinders to the house, to business tasks, and focus solely on the kids and giving them my absolute best as a teacher for those hours. 

On Thursday evenings, I guard that space and let everything else go (including the kids!) to make room for Date Night. 

Historically, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings were set aside for focusing on business. I put the blinders on to everything else (no TV or mindless social media) and Crank. It. Out. (Now that Ivy has hit the scene I’m still floundering a bit in the evenings but we’re slowly figuring it out!)

Compartmentalization is basically focusing on one thing at a time and being okay with letting the other things slide. 

It’s giving yourself permission to be “all in” with the kids and to let the business go for those hours.

It’s giving yourself permission to be “all in” with your business during specified times and refusing to let mom guilt creep in. 

It’s giving yourself permission to hire a sitter, turn off your smart phone and be “all in” with your spouse for a date night (or even just a snuggle on the sofa after the kids are in bed).

It means sitting down to make a weekly meal plan and NOT hopping on social media, or checking in on the business chat, but seeing that meal plan through to completion. 

The great thing about this is, when I do life in compartments, it suddenly becomes less overwhelming. 

I can breathe.

I can actually see progress in those areas instead of dabbling here and there and becoming frustrated that nothing feels “done well.”

We can’t do it all. That’s the harsh reality. 

But.

When we learn to focus well, and to choose wisely which hat to wear (and when), we’ll begin to manage our priorities better and we’ll feel better about life in general.

Rock on sister. Embrace some compartments today. In fact, jot them down – what are the different areas you need to create space to focus on this week?!