Realistic Expectations

I’m a list maker—it’s one of the ways I stay organized and on top of all that I need to accomplish during the day, week or month. But at times, I fall prey to what I term “the hole of great expectations.” Forget what Charles Dickens wrote, having great expectations can sometimes create more work for you with no better results.

For example, one item on my list might be to vacuum the bedrooms, but before I can accomplish that relatively simple task, I’ll add that I probably should clean out the closets first. Which means I’ve added more time and the chance that I won’t get the original item accomplish.

Sometimes, I keep adding to my to-do list without taking the time to do what’s listed there. This keeps my mind racing with things to do, but leaves little time to actually get the tasks done.

How do I conquer my great expectations? Sometimes by prioritizing my to-do list and crossing off unrealistic items. Sometimes I have to scale back my own sense of what “cleaning the kitchen” entails and skip reorganizing the plastic-ware cabinet for now. Sometimes, if I have a particularly busy week with freelance work, I have to do the bare minimum of household upkeep.

If time was unlimited, then we could all fulfill our own great expectations. But since God has given us a finite amount of time each day, week, month and year, we need to develop a sense of realistic expectations and learn to rejoice within that limitation.

So when I feel the tug of my own great expectations, I am learning to be content that I am doing all I can right now, in this season of my life. Perhaps one day I will reorganize my kitchen cabinets, sort through the downstairs dresser or write a blog every week. But for now, I will be content with my own set of realistic expectations and leave the great ones to Dickens.
Until next time,

Sarah