I am sitting at my computer with a multitude of paint colors on my arms and under my fingernails. A few weeks ago I decided it would be a good idea to make little coins out of clay and then paint them and put them in a wooden dough bowl for display.
Great idea, except they’ve been sitting on my dining table ever since in varying stages of drying paint. My table also has a messy pile of Bible scripture stickers that I’m trying to sort into new and Old Testament piles. Paint and paint brushes are scattered everywhere to cover what once was my dining table.
PC: Ann Kirsten
I am also smelling the wonderful aroma of roasting garlic, tomatoes, and basil as I roast them for sauce. That means that the kitchen counter (that was pristine this morning) is now covered with the mess I left behind.
PC: Ann Kirsten
I’m also looking at my husband’s old wheelchair that is sporting a rumpled stack of fall colored felt and on the loveseat, there is a black felt kitty and all the materials it took for me to make him.
I used to be so embarrassed about my scattered brain. To me, it was a flaw that I needed to hide. It made me feel “less than” and inferior to those blessed with an organized brain.
Years have gone by and I’ve had a multitude of life lessons, some of them enlightening and wonderful, some of them very painful. But what I’ve come away with is this:
We’ve all been created very differently.
What might be a curse for some, might just be a blessing to another. Who, besides God, gets to decide what the “right” way is and what is wrong?
Still, having a scattered brain can make life a bit stressful. So, years ago, I created the “Ten Rule”.
When facing tasks that just seemed too impossible for me to finish (and there are a lot of those), I would literally set a timer for 10 minutes or make myself do ten tasks. When the ten was over, I was allowed to sit and enjoy a beverage or skip to another task with NO GUILT (the no guilt part is very important).
It’s amazing what you can get done in 10 minutes!
Ten minutes of folding laundry (a job I dislike very much) can sometimes finish a whole load. I often find myself literally running down the hall trying to beat the clock. If 10 minutes is too much to think about, I put away 10 items of clothing instead and return later to finish.
Emptying the dishwasher is another task that feels like a punishment. I employ the ten things rule for that. I stop other projects and put 10 things away before I move on. Before I know it, the dishwasher is empty and my scattered brain is happy.
I often use the Ten Rule to clear off my desk or table. Looking at the big piles of stuff tends to freeze me up. By telling myself I only have to put ten things away, the job becomes doable.
Exercise to me is punishment. But can I do just ten minutes of movement? Yes, of course I can. That, repeated, can make a big difference in my overall health.
I’ve also vacuumed for 10 minutes, weeded for 10 minutes, spent 10 minutes sorting papers, and so much more. I used to set 10 minutes aside to pray in my car whenever I went anywhere. It was the exact time between my home and the little town that marked the beginning of every journey I made. By beginning each car trip with even 10 minutes of prayer, my whole day was changed.
When life is too wild and stressful to want to spend time in the Bible, I read for 10 minutes and feel so much better afterwards.
The side benefit of employing the Ten Rule is “No Guilt!” I used to spend so much time feeling overwhelmed by the formidable tasks that faced me each day. Looking at them now and knowing that either 10 minutes or 10 things is completely doable, allows me to get going much faster than I used to.
Do I ever go over the ten things? Yes, almost always, but I do it because it’s my choice, not because I feel guilty. Once I get started, not only is 10minutes or things doable, but it feels easy. It’s natural for me to keep going.
I think the 10 rule was born when I was very ill with chronic disease. Doing just 10 things made me feel accomplished and not just a lump in a bed. Sometimes I had to drag myself up and pray myself through putting away ten little things, but when I did, I felt so proud.
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
Whatever your reasons are, whether you are scattered like me, or overwhelmed with too much on your plate, or even ill with chronic disease, employing the Ten Rule may change your life too. We need to stop comparing ourselves to moms who seem to accomplish uncountable things each day and instead be proud of ourselves for all the “tens” we do.
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
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Read more of Ann’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
