Are you like me and put way too many things on the daily to-do list? Drinking caffeine to keep up the energy? I hope not. It’s overwhelming! Why do I choose to do that to myself?

I had to ask myself that question recently when I realized I was cramming in too many things and not getting one done completely.

Since my teens, I wanted to be a singer/songwriter/writer. I worked on it a little whenever I allowed myself the time. Did you catch that? Whenever I allowed myself the time. I’ve been guilty of not doing the self-care stuff, like relaxing, exercising, reading a fictional book for fun, maybe trying meditating, you know, the things that could extend my life, make me feel happier, etc. There’s been too much to do!

Having gotten over so much childhood pain and years of feeling not good enough, I am different (evolved a little more) and want to see success from my creations. So, I work double-time, overtime, whatever you want to call it, when every spare minute is used on my writing, blog, and books. I need to get these books done and sent out! I don’t even care where they’re sent. I need to get these things out there for people to read and enjoy.

Years ago, I lost my job as a result of taking off time because I fell at a supermarket on a Sunday, and I hurt my neck. It had not been a fun road after that for many years. I went from doctor to doctor, getting needles and lots of physical therapy, acupuncture, and procedures. I lived in constant pain, afraid that if I did what I was used to (lifting heavy things like air conditioners, building a stone-stacked wall, or other not-so-heavy-duty stuff like exercising ), it would cause more pain, but I did it and felt more pain. I wanted to live, not exist in a small life where I felt sorry for myself and wanted others to do that too. Wow, not so good.

My neck is tolerable. I get trigger point injections every two months, and they keep it working well. And I swear by taking collagen daily. It’s like taking care of a classic car. You have to baby it a little and do the regular maintenance more often.

Time felt wasted and now I’m working double time to make up for the lost time, but trying to keep from feeling overwhelmed. It’s a delicate balance, but it can be done.

But — and here’s the point of this post — I’m okay. I wake up thanking God for another day, and I go. I have a family, job, and house that need my attention, and I have historically put them over me, taking my time up doing things that don’t necessarily bring me joy, like cleaning, laundry, etc. Still, I fit them into my day by playing the multitasking mania game.

I multitask, looking on Amazon or eBay or paying bills while working. I clean the counter, sink, and cabinets waiting for my coffee to brew. I do that because I think I’m reserving extra time to work on my books. I scrape and crawl through the sands of time, hoping to grab some of it and use it wisely (like finishing my books). That’s what I’ve been doing lately. And it feels good to write, but anxiety-fueled because I think about all the other things I need to get done.

I envision a future life where I am free to write whenever and how long I want to without interruption and have those pesky to-do list items delegated to someone else. And I’m okay with that! I never thought I would, given my touches of type A personality.

We gotta (misspelled on purpose) quit the multitasking mania! I know many people do it. It seems to be the way of the world today. It just crept up on us like a frisky kitten and pounced! We move faster than ever and take on way too much in one day because we think we have to. We don’t.

Lately, I’m trying to focus on one task, editing my books to be the best version they could be, and then they are out of the nest like baby birdies learning to fly. Out they will go to whomever I could find willing to read them. I believe in them now, whereas I thought I wasn’t good enough before. Ooo, I can’t wait to see them in print. Wonderful stories. They need to fly.

The cure for multitasking is focusing.

It’s that simple. Get the worry out of your mind and focus. You don’t need permission from anybody to take the time to do what brings you happiness and joy. When we’re happy, others around us are happy too. We need to spread happiness around.

I write this, hopefully not coming across as a woe-is-me, to share my experiences to show how I’ve dealt with them and have changed for the better. I know we can overcome multi-tasking mania with some tender self-care.

Thank you for reading this. I hope you have a wonderful day!

To focusing on what’s important,

Francesca