In partnership with

THE ART OF DROPPING THE BALL

I dropped the ball. I didn’t send a newsletter last week. I had been traveling for the first part of the week and then came home while my husband was still away and it was go-go-go for 3 days. I just didn’t have the bandwidth to write anything worth sending — and I want these to be valuable and worth your time to read.

Trust me when I say a lot of the time I feel like all I do are “chores” from the minute I get up to when I go to sleep.

But, there are also a lot of days when I intentionally choose to drop the ball(s).

Maybe you’ve heard this before, but it’s a great analogy that can help us decide what we can drop. Because sometimes it really does feel like they all hold the same weight. 

The glass ones are more important …. like picking up your kids from sports or going on the field trip you promised them you would. These are the things that if they were to fall and break, you can’t piece them back together or do later.

And the plastic ones might be vacuuming, laundry, or something that won’t cause extended damage if you push them off. They might fall and bounce or roll around, but they are still there and you can really pick them up when you have time.

The plastic ones are the ones that we can put lower on the list. Those can be moved over to tomorrow if need be. Or skipped altogether that week.

Adults have a lot of things on our to-do list. The list is never-ending and sometimes we even add to it without realizing it.

Here’s an example:

I have been collecting house plants over the last couple of years… but I have never been good about taking care of plants. Even the ones that say they are the easiest to care for… I have killed. It’s another thing on the to-do list that was easily forgotten. But, it’s been something I’ve wanted to get better at doing. Adding another plant, means another thing on my to-do list.

So we have to make it easier on ourselves. Here are a few tips:

• Assign certain chores to certain days of the week or month. Alliteration can help you remember, too (like Food Fridays to grocery shop). I have bought easyplants which allow me to only water once a month; so on the 1st of the month, I water my plants and give my dog his heartworm medication.

• Doing 2 things on the same day like watering plants and giving heartworm medication is an example of habit stacking. You can do this for daily, weekly, and monthly chores and habits (also a great skill to teach kids). Flossing and brushing teeth, showering and a red light mask, cooking dinner and food prepping for the week. I work out in the basement where the laundry room is, so I will throw a load of laundry in while I workout. It’s not doing 2 things at once, it’s stacking habits so when you do one, it reminds you to do the other.

• Working off of a top 3 list. The list can get long, but if you start the day prioritizing the absolute must do top 3 things, you will be more likely to get those done. And then the next top 3 things move to the top of your list for tomorrow. Rinse and repeat. This is a proven method that helps people get more done in a week than people who say they “multi-task.” This aligns with the glass vs plastic ball strategy above.

• Stop trying to multi-task. Multi-tasking is actually not really possible. You cannot focus on 2 things at once. It requires your brain to continuously change focus and ends up being a massive energy suck. People refute this by saying they can walk and talk at the same time and that’s multi-tasking. Well, sure, you can walk around the block and chat with a friend without thinking too much about either one, but if you were to come to a busy road and had to cross the street, I bet you would stop talking and focus on walking as you crossed. The point being → Close the other tabs while you’re doing that 1 thing.

• Build in breaks. Some chores and tasks truly are never-ending. Laundry will always be a thing as long as we are wearing clothes and care about hygiene. But there will always be things on our to-do list and if you don’t build in time off, you’ll feel like it’s groundhog day everyday.

So many women I talk to feel like they are drowning in to-do’s and I think they are hoping that I tell them the secret to getting it all done, when instead I tell them to take a break. Take a ‘nothing day’ to re-set, breathe, and do something they want to do / enjoy doing. It helps with perspective on which balls can be dropped and re-energizes you.

Happy Friday!

xo, Tara

Thanks for keeping 🌿NOURISHED free!

Transparency: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, ads, and/or partner recommendations where I may earn a commission if you click or shop.

Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Subscribe to 1440 today.