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19 Comments

  1. Very good pointers Elli O! All of them are valuable. #2 stands out to me because it is so true. During my career I managed a division of expert problem solvers and we got all the “company’s” problems. Of course the issues were all time sensitive; but as you said, each was not of the same value. First for us was: Is it life threatening? How many people will die if this issue is not resolved today, tomorrow or next week? The priorities went down from there. People bring issues would get very upset with me when I told them their problem was not the highest priority we had to solve, but we would get to them shortly.

  2. Thanks for sharing. I too find satisfaction in answering “what did I accomplish today?” at the end of the workday. Trying to teach it to my kids is quite challenging. ‘Rescued the princess’ or ‘new high score’ seems more important to them… but its starting to change.

  3. Having been a homemaker for 47 years now (our anniversary was earlier this week), much of my morning routine is on auto pilot. I do use a bullet journal for the extras – sewing projects, preserving food, organizing, contacting people etc.

    I really appreciate this very practical article, Elli!

  4. Thank you for that practical article. The circumstances we are living in right now, here in America, can “freeze” people emotionally and physically. So much time filled with anxiety over the lockdowns, jobs, election, and worries about the future. I pray for my family members as they sort through the chaos.

    For me, I’m a list maker too. It comes from managing large, complicated, critical projects when I was a full time professional. The past couple of years, as I was recovering (and am still) from serious illness, I have made lists with categories:
    1. What must be done
    2. What should be done
    3. What do I want to do
    Now that I have some balance in my day, I just have one list and it’s basically the “must be done” list, as I am able to pick and choose without stressing about what I have not accomplished. Periodically, I check the list and ask myself if I can check off a couple of the “must be done” items. I try to be more laid back and forgiving of myself when things aren’t perfect around me. I am a reformed Type A, so for those of us who push themselves to the outer limits, it’s important for us to rest – even if rest has to be scheduled in. We are all so different.
    God bless.

  5. I think words are important.

    Similar to the homosexuals corrupting the word ‘gay’, the marxists misused the word ‘epidemic’, then corrupted it worse it into ‘pandemic’.

    Just as I refuse to use anything other than ‘the homosexuals’ to describe the homosexuals, I refuse to ‘pandemic’.
    Instead, I use ‘this phase of this Economic Lock-Down’ to describe this phase of the global elites attempts to destroy small businesses.

    The marxists use of ‘pandemic’ is disinformation.
    The marxists use of ‘gay’ is disinformation.

    Correct me if my memory is wrong.
    In the old myths, was Pan the god of chaos?
    Is a ‘pandemic’ engineered to keep us off-balance and focused on worldly issues?

    And I am pretty sure a ‘quarantine’ of healthy folk is grammatically impossible.
    And I cast a wary eye on anybody claiming to be a ‘guru’ or ‘expert’.

    And ‘tofu’ is ‘toe-foo’.
    So there!

  6. I agree that words have great power. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. One can say ” I can’t, it’s too hard, it’s difficult! ” Or you can say ” it’s going to be a challenge”, Or, ” I’ll just take the next step”. One way you start defeated, the other way you have hope and are encouraged. By breaking down seemingly impossible tasks you can actually accomplish really big jobs. When dealing with serious fatigue or health issues it’s wise to make smaller goals that take you to accomplishing the larger goal. I find it useful to set a timer when I have to take a break because of fatigue. That way I can totally relax and yet know it’ll be for a limited time. I like the idea of prioritizing your goals so you don’t fritter away your time. Intentional living is more satisfying.

  7. Hey Elli O. Excellent article.

    “Keep the Sabbath. I don’t believe that God is impressed by our excessive work ethics. I do believe that He created the Sabbath so that we would intentionally rest from our labors.”

    This is great advice for anyone, whether they’re religious or not. Aside from the things you mentioned, for me the biggest advantage of a day of rest is that it’s an excuse not to work. No more guilt feelings for not getting things accomplished. I work way too much, mostly on various homestead projects, but it’s still work. It’s nice to not feel guilty about not accomplishing things on my day off, it’s a huge psychological boost.

    The only thing I can add to what you’ve mentioned is that every two weeks or so, I wake up and decide that today, I’m going to only work on all those things I’ve been procrastinating, both big and small. That includes things I’ve lived with, which have a simple solution, but that I never stopped long enough to ask myself, “What is the solution?” My best wooden spoon is very stout and long so it makes an excellent tool for making jam and my 5-quart batches of chili. But it’s way too long to fit in the drawer properly causing frustration when I tried to dig other things out. Solution 1 was to start carving my own spoons which were stout but shorter, then it occurred to me, “Hey Dummy, it already has a hole in the end of the handle, let’s hang it up alongside the kitchen window above the sink.” So that’s it’s new home and it looks great hanging there. So, my point is, those problems that we’ve just been absent mindedly living with, we should stop and think, “How can I fix this?” and add that to our list to remove some of the little frustrations that we just live with.

  8. • Ezekiel 20:12 (NKJV)
    12 Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD (YHVH) who sanctifies them.

    Sanctify: The state of proper functioning; to set a person or thing apart for the use intended by its designer.

    • Genesis 1:31 (NKJV)
    31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good (tov). So, the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

    Genesis 2:1-3 (NKJV)
    1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

    Tov (Hebrew): good, to function in its designed purpose.

    1. Toby,
      Thank you for those quotes from Scripture. Your comment was very timely and appropriate. A passage that comes to mind is the following:
      Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
      Based on the quotes you have already posted we should all know which day the sabbath day is – the seventh.
      Shalom,
      David

  9. Excellent pointers, applicable to most anyone in any situation.

    An adjunct to your comments is that people who set (realistic) goals are likely to get more done, efficiently and effectively, than people who don’t set goals and are easily distracted by this by daily “noise”or react only at the last minute when a task can seem overwhelming. Aesop wrote a few stories about this…
    Setting and prioritizing goals can be calming and satisfying, productive, and time and money saving.

  10. A great article on finding balance between preparedness and life right now. Our family prepped like mad all through the summer and autumn, so that now we have a feeling of “now what…?” With holidays coming, the focus has now shifted to meaningful gifts for the family. Warm hand-knit items to keep family warm if the power goes out. A “real” archery set for our son, who recently earned his archery merit badge, so he can put his skill to more practical uses than shooting at a target. And rearranging our shelves so that it’s easier to locate, and rotate, all of our preps. Let’s not forget that all-important toilet paper!

  11. This all sounded so familiar I don’t even know where to start 🙂 Thank you so much for this great article!

    (clinical depression is horrid, and I’m sorry you deal with it also.)

  12. One of the things I used to do each morning when I worked (now retired) was to list three things I did not want to do but needed to do at work. Then I attacked the list. For some reason creating the list made it easier to take on those ugly tasks. There are really only two ‘secrets’ to doing this and that is make a list and “start” on that list. The “start” is the most important. Even if you cannot complete the list you must start; take action to get it done. It was not uncommon to have to carry an item forward to tomorrow’s list but each day is a new day. Make a list and take action.

  13. I learned at a pretty young age that starting is mental and it’s 90% of the job that also comes with great relief and the feeling that, yes, I can do this task.
    My latest task is total and complete devotion to organizing everything. The “kids” just got a tour when the came for Thanksgiving and they were stunned to see what I accomplished. The final task is a notebook detailing each room, closet or storage area to help anyone who needs an item to know exactly where to find it. I am kind of surprised that I could accomplish this task as it was a big one. Thank you, Lord, for your help and guidance!

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