We could probably uncover thousands of posts on this topic if we did a quick Google search. I think we all struggle with the concept of getting everything done at some point. It’s so easy to feel like we’re falling behind as our to do list grows and grows. Then, we see a coworker or someone on the internet who seems to have it all together and is doing more than we could even imagine. At first, I think of that internet famous quote, “You have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyoncé.” It’s a little silly, yet so accurate. We all have the same number of hours in a day. Why do we sometimes feel like we’re the only ones not getting anything done? Today, I wanted to offer a bit of perspective on the topic.

I often have people ask me how I do everything. How do you blog, work, travel, and still wrap fancy-looking presents? When do you have time to sip coffee or read books? What about the laundry or groceries? I had this exact conversation with a close friend when I sent out our moving announcements.  There’s a spoiler here, or a cheat code, if you will. If you don’t read anymore of this post, be sure to pay attention to this one point. Although, you should definitely keep going because quitters never win. Are you ready?

No one does it all.

I don’t do it all. You don’t do it all. That perfectly put together lady down the street doesn’t do it all. We all do some things, not all things. It’s easy to compare ourselves to someone else, yet we forget to take the entire scenario into consideration. That being said, here are a few tips for bridging that gap in your mind.

1. Decide what you want to do. Since we can’t do everything, we must choose what’s important to us. Your list will look different than mine and vice versa. If you need to, make a quick list of all of the things you want to do. Then, prioritize them, keeping in mind that you will only be able to focus on some of them, not all. We aren’t super heroes, so pick the most important things to you.
2. Do whatever you chose really well. If you decided having a home cooked meal every night is what’s most important to you, do that. Keep in mind that you’re deciding to forfeit another opportunity in using that time for cooking, and that’s perfectly fine. Whatever you decide fills you up should be what you focus on and what you do really well. Cut yourself some slack on those other things. I, for example, choose to write, wrap pretty presents, etc. These sorts of creative tasks take the place of time I’d spend cooking or cleaning. I made that choice and therefore don’t try to do everything else. I do what I chose and feel good about that.
3. Stop comparing yourself to others. When you find yourself thinking so-and-so has it more together than you, stop it! They chose their priorities just like you did. There are most definitely areas they’ve chosen to ignore, even if they’re not immediately obvious. The reason that we often feel inferior is because we take note of the items someone else is doing that we’re not. When we see them accomplishing something that we’re not, it makes us feel like we’re dropping the ball on life. Rather than taking this approach, focus on the things you are doing well. Remind yourself that they’re doing awesome with this part and you’re doing awesome with that other part. It all levels out and we’re all dominating something.

The most important step in feeling like you get it all done is realizing that you don’t have to. It’s abandoning the thoughts in your head that tell you otherwise. Bid them farewell. The reason Beyoncé gets so many bad-ass things done in a day is because she doesn’t do something else. I guarantee Beyoncé isn’t spending her time scrubbing dishes. Instead, she’s using her 24 hours to do what she chose. That’s what we have to do too. Choose. And then do those things, ignoring that little voice in our head that tells us we should be doing something else.