Have you ever had one of those days when you literally become your own worst enemy and don’t even realize it until it’s too late? I had one of those days recently. It all started when I fell for my own lie.

Choice #1 – I convinced myself that I should sleep in because if I was too tired, my brain would be foggy and I wouldn’t be as efficient. Sounds pretty logical, right? Problem is, I know my days are always more productive if I get up & get moving in the morning.

Now I’m a couple of hours behind on my schedule and I get a phone call. Someone needs my help this morning. Choice #2  – I’m always happy to help out when I can and this will only take a few minutes. (really about 30 minutes when all is said and done, but how often do we think quick task in our minds only to realize it actually took a lot longer.)  Besides, I haven’t really got started on my day yet so I’ll just do some odds & ends until it’s time to go and then I’ll start my list when I get back.

Did I mention I was also babysitting my 9 month old grandson that day? You all know what a joy it is to lug baby and car seat around, so while I was already out I decided to stop at the store real quick. (Ha Ha) By the time we get home, it’s a little after noon, he needs to be fed and I haven’t even started on my to do list.

I get him fed and of course we have to play for a little while. I get him down for a nap, check the time and realize it’s after 1 pm. Choice #3 – I try to shift gears around 4 or 5 pm to focus on family and dinner. So in my mind, the day is practically gone and I haven’t accomplished a dang thing. Feeling defeated, I let out a big sigh. No point in getting started now. I give up and decide to spread the tasks out over the rest of the week and chalk this up to a “personal day”.

When my husband gets home later that evening and asks what I was up to today, I reply “Not much, I didn’t get any of my stuff done today”.

Looking back, it’s easy to see the effect those seemingly simple choices had on my day. In the moment, they didn’t seem like a big deal. They even seemed to be good ideas. I wasn’t letting myself get too tired, I was being kind and helpful and I made the most out of my trip by running errands while I was out. The moral of this story is that good choices aren’t always the best choice. Weekly and daily planning along with an awareness of your priorities will help you know which of the many good choices you can make every day are actually the best choices.

If this day sounds all to familiar and you struggle with time management we should talk!