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Overwhelmed with tasks

Harriolo
Community Member

Does anyone else spend the majority of their days off from work trying to work their way through a never ending list of tasks/ chores. I want to do fulfilling, fun, hobbies etc but I find that I get bogged down with errands and tasks. Yet at the same time I don't feel like I ever get on top of these tasks. I often don't leave the house and then get frustrated that I haven't done anything exciting with my day. It always feels like I should be doing something which makes it hard to dedicate time to take time to do hobbies, or just read in the park or something

 

Seen people with ADHD talk about similar experiences. I've got OCD so could be related to that in that I find it hard not to obsess over things that I need to do. Just wondering if anyone experiences the same thing. If they've got any tips/ advice?
 

Thanks,

 

Harri

6 Replies 6

white knight
Community Champion
Community Champion

Hi, welcome

 

Time management is an art. Also most of the people that are involved in community projects, politics or a job with high number of hours have a spouse that does all the shopping, cleaning and cooking and so on, those errands as you say.

 

I once made a list of the tasks we had to do every day and week. The list was enormous. So to involve a hobby or sport some of those things need to be dropped off the list or reduced in frequency. Then imagine if you owned a farm? More chores with animals, fencing and feed. I have 7 cousins in the one family that were raised on a farm, only one wanted to remain on that farm, the rest were glad never to see a farm again such was the workload.

 

Mental health issues often overlap. So OCD doesnt mean also that you dont have traces of ADHD or other illness lurking. Obsession is a common trait and that needs self discipline that is easier said than done when you have OCD so all I can suggest is to do some planning so you dedicate say 1-4pm every day towards a hobby or sport. The dusty window sills can wait till the next morning. 

 

What I've also been told is that logic evades us at times until someone tells us the obvious. Worry is an example, worry only create ulcers, it plays no part is a solution, so you might stress over not cleaning the oven but if its on a schedule of say every Saturday morning tasks, then dont worry, its scheduled, get on with your hobby.

 

Clearly you must get that balance right or you wont be enjoying life at all. I hope that has helped.

 

TonyWK

Aussie.Girl
Community Member

I'm not sure how much help this will be but I completely understand what you are experiencing. 

 

I also have OCD (and I suspect ADHD as well) and I always feel like I never get anything done and never have time to do the things I want to do. 

 

I recently left my job partly because of this, and to be honest it hasn't made much difference. I still feel like my to-do list grows much faster than I could ever complete the tasks on it and perpetual tasks like dishes seem to always need doing. 

 

I agree with Harriolo in that you should allot time in your schedule to engage in your hobbies, even if it is only an hour or so a day or a couple of hours on a weekend. The chores can wait. 

 

I hope you can find a way to enjoy your hobbies more regularly.

Hi, thank you for your detailed response. Yeah time management definitely is an art haha. I think it's just something that I need to see as an ongoing challenge. It's not something that you can just get right like that. Like you say it will just take practice and gradually it will get better. I'm just not very patient and always want instant results haha. I've been trying/ experimenting with a lot of different methods for organisation such as visualisation boards waking up earlier etc some of which have acc helped so it's not all bad. I think dedicating a specific time to a hobby and not allowing yourself to worry about other stuff could help so I'll give it a go. Thanks for the advice

Thanks for your response. Nice to see that someone has experienced something similar. I'm def gonna try and allot specific times to my hobbies. So we'll see how I go with that : )

Hi Harriolo, I've definitely experienced similar. I was in a bad space and getting overwhelmed by not being able to keep up with work and chores. I had to make a conscious decision to ignore the chores and get a life.

 

I don't think time management is the problem. No matter how much you try to cram into a day, there will still be more chores that need doing. Imagine yourself at 95 years old, looking back on your life. Will you regret not cleaning the windows enough, or the fact that you never made time for the hobby you always wanted to try?

 

It's not easy, but my advice is to lessen your standards, learn to leave the cobwebs for two weeks instead of one and force yourself to do the good things first. Enjoy!

Hopefull7
Community Member

Do you live with other people or children?  If so, maybe they can help with the household chores.  Otherwise you could see the tasks you have to do as challenges and prioritise what needs to be done now and what can wait longer.   I believe we have to make time for things we Iike to do.  I recently had an enjoyable weekend away which improved my mood so much.