Overwhelmed, unmotivated, unbalanced

[argie]

For the past several weeks, I've been submitting my assignments late since we just moved into our first house. Tonight was the first time I submitted in on time, which makes me happy in a sense...but ugh. I just want to do better. I hate that all these life changes is affecting my school life. I just want to crawl up in a ball and cry!

Most of areas in the house is set up...except for my stuff which are still in boxes in the area currently designated as my office. Does anyone have any tips to help me get through this?

[Ladybug]

We moved this summer and it's thrown my life into a tail spin. I've had to give myself some weeks off. All the boxes (lots!) are in the basement and out of sight. I've tried to do a few boxes a day, but just keeping up with cleaning the house and kids school work and feeding everyone is full time. I'd really like to finish organizing. I keep thinking about how peaceful it will feel to know the house is settled and organized. I'm working towards that peace of mind more than the boxes. Hang in there! I feel your pain

[medpedspouse]

I am no help other than to say I am right there with you. We moved in a year ago and the one room that is still a mess is my office. Just yesterday I tried to find something for my accountant and couldn't. We had people pack us and stuff is in diffeent boxes that I rumage through and make worse each time I need something.

[MsSassyBaskets]

I'm probably no help either. I've been procrastinating in my current class AND at work, and I don't even have the excuse of having moved. I just want to lounge around reading and knitting a baby blanket in the evening instead of working. It sounds like maybe having your office all clean and organized and free of moving boxes might help? Spending a morning cleaning up my office and making to-do lists helps me sometimes. And coffee. Are there any projects/efforts you are in the mood to tackle? Would a change of scenery or exercise help?

[MAPPLEBUM]

For the past several weeks, I've been submitting my assignments late since we just moved into our first house. Tonight was the first time I submitted in on time, which makes me happy in a sense...but ugh. I just want to do better. I hate that all these life changes is affecting my school life. I just want to crawl up in a ball and cry!

Most of areas in the house is set up...except for my stuff which are still in boxes in the area currently designated as my office. Does anyone have any tips to help me get through this?

I know this is obvious but whenever I'm overwhelmed with tasks I make a two column list. Specific tasks I want to accomplish TODAY and specific tasks that need to be done in the near future. The key is to comprise the list of small, easily managed tasks. Not "do this week's assignments" but "read X assignment" for one, "write response" for another, and "turn in response" for another. I love the feeling of crossing off completed tasks, so many times I include things that are really easy or I already know that I'm going to do (like the dishes). That way, once I start going through completing tasks I have more things to mark off and I feel SO productive! That inspires me to finish the list.

Especially when it comes to big projects like unpacking I feel much better about organizing my thoughts and expectations of when things should be done, and dividing it up into manageable small tasks. If I feel like everything is looming over my head I get nothing done. So figure out what is the most pertinent and put some of those down for TODAY. Everything else can go onto the later column, so when you make another list tomorrow or later in the week you will take some of the "later" tasks and put them down for TODAY.

[argie]

Overwhelmed, unmotivated, unbalanced

I know this is obvious but whenever I'm overwhelmed with tasks I make a two column list. Specific tasks I want to accomplish TODAY and specific tasks that need to be done in the near future. The key is to comprise the list of small, easily managed tasks. Not "do this week's assignments" but "read X assignment" for one, "write response" for another, and "turn in response" for another. I love the feeling of crossing off completed tasks, so many times I include things that are really easy or I already know that I'm going to do (like the dishes). That way, once I start going through completing tasks I have more things to mark off and I feel SO productive! That inspires me to finish the list.

Especially when it comes to big projects like unpacking I feel much better about organizing my thoughts and expectations of when things should be done, and dividing it up into manageable small tasks. If I feel like everything is looming over my head I get nothing done. So figure out what is the most pertinent and put some of those down for TODAY. Everything else can go onto the later column, so when you make another list tomorrow or later in the week you will take some of the "later" tasks and put them down for TODAY.

I'm definitely a fan of to do lists! I recently downloaded Any.do, which is a to do list app using the same concept you described. I am feeling a little bit better the past couple of days, but perhaps I should also cut myself some slack since not everyone moves twice in 3 months. *sigh*

[argie]

I am no help other than to say I am right there with you. We moved in a year ago and the one room that is still a mess is my office. Just yesterday I tried to find something for my accountant and couldn't. We had people pack us and stuff is in diffeent boxes that I rumage through and make worse each time I need something.

I'm the type of person who likes everything in it's own place, so I feel ya. We just completed our move to his house 3 weeks ago, so I think I may be hard on myself, especially since this is our 2nd move in the past 3 months...

[argie]

I am no help other than to say I am right there with you. We moved in a year ago and the one room that is still a mess is my office. Just yesterday I tried to find something for my accountant and couldn't. We had people pack us and stuff is in diffeent boxes that I rumage through and make worse each time I need something.

I'm the type of person who likes everything in it's own place, so I feel ya. We just completed our move to his house 3 weeks ago, so I think I may be hard on myself, especially since this is our 2nd move in the past 3 months...

[ladymoreta]

I also need to make lists to keep from getting overwhelmed (and then not doing anything). The best moving trick I've found is to put the boxes in the middle of the room in each room where the stuff goes. Anything in closets or even pushed to a corner stays in boxes for months (or years)... The other thing is to go ahead and set up my desk immediately, even if the rest of the room isn't complete. I need my computer and a space to work on things, or they don't get done and bills don't get paid.

[PrincessFiona]

Ugh! Definitely cut yourself some slack! You have moved twice in three months? What?! That is overwhelming on its own.
As far as the procrastination is concerned ... the only way I keep myself moving is to keep a paper planner that I write things in. I can't do it on a mobile format. I write down every assignment on the day I need to work on it and a checkbox for me to check it off when I'm done. Checking things off my list is powerful. I have lots of checkboxes.

We had a dumpster a few weeks ago that we were filling (not the same as unpacking, I know) and I broke it into little pieces. There were areas that we wanted to clean up and so I divided my house/garage up and then only worked on one area at a time. Oh...and I always checked it off my list

Be patient with yourself and don't beat yourself up for procrastinating!

Kris

[argie]

Ugh! Definitely cut yourself some slack! You have moved twice in three months? What?! That is overwhelming on its own.

We moved from Iowa to the Detroit metro to an apartment first so that we had someplace to live when the DH started his residency. Then we bought our first house. School started a week before we moved to the new house...not great timing but it is what it is...

Definitely appreciate everyone's feedback on how to deal with procrastinating and time management. I finally put a meal plan menu in the kitchen too to help me organize myself in the household. Yay.