The list that’s helping me stop running ahead
How to Stop Running Ahead
Release what isn’t here yet.
This one has been a struggle for me, and it’s something I’ve really been focusing on learning and embracing over the past few months.
I love planning ahead. I love working ahead. I am the person who buys the Erin Condren planner for the next year when it launches in April of the current year. Planning is clearly not something I’m going to give up anytime soon.
And honestly, I still believe strongly in planning ahead. Planning gives us margin. It gives us time to adjust, pivot, and prepare well.
What I’m learning, though, is how to plan for the future without letting the future steal the joy and peace available to me today.
One of the best tools I’ve started using to help me do that is something I call my Not Yet List.
It’s where I write down everything that’s taking up space in my mind but doesn’t need my attention today. Ideas I want to explore. Things I want to do. Tasks I know will need my attention eventually. Dreams I’m excited about. Problems my brain would really like to solve three months early.
Writing them down gives them a place to live without requiring me to carry them around all day.
My Not Yet List isn’t a list of things I’m ignoring. It’s a list of things I’m intentionally trusting God with until it’s time to give them my attention.
Some things belong on today’s list.
Some things belong on the Not Yet List.
There is a lot of peace in learning the difference.
When you notice your mind racing ahead this week, gently remind yourself: Come back to today.
You don’t have to solve next month today. You don’t have to know how every dream will unfold. You don’t have to carry tomorrow’s responsibilities before tomorrow gets here.
You can plan wisely and still be fully present.
This week, I challenge you to:
Focus on completing one meaningful task before thinking about the next one.
Pray over one dream you’ve been trying to control and release the timing to God.
Leave fifteen unscheduled minutes somewhere in your day.
When you start to feel overwhelmed, ask yourself, “What’s my next faithful step?”
You can still dream about what’s ahead. You can still make the plan. Just remember to come back and live the day God has already placed in front of you.
Growing Good
Growth often happens in ordinary moments. One of my favorite things about community events is that they don't have to be elaborate to create connection.
1. National Relaxation Day
This Saturday, August 15, is National Relaxation Day, which feels like perfect timing after everything we’ve been talking about this month.
Even if you can only find fifteen minutes, give yourself fifteen uninterrupted minutes to relax in a way that feels restorative to you. Sit outside. Read a few pages of a book. Take a walk. Drink your coffee while it’s still hot. Do absolutely nothing for a few minutes.
I plan to be somewhere in the sunshine with a book, soaking up some Vitamin D and practicing what I preach.
2. August 18 is National Fajita Day
Host a little fiesta and invite a few friends to join you for delicious food and fellowship. Presence doesn’t always have to look quiet. Sometimes it looks like sitting around a table, laughing with people you love.
Rachel Recommends
I think I have at least hinted at, if not fully confessed, my obsession with colored pens. The number I have at my desk, in my purse, and scattered everywhere in between is honestly a little staggering. My newest find is Zebra ClickArt pens/markers. They’re technically markers, but they’re thin enough that I can use them like pens. There are 36 beautiful colors, and even the original Japanese packaging makes me happy because it reminds me of living in Japan and how much I loved all of the beautiful stationery and writing tools there.
My second recommendation is Avocado Skillet’s high-protein, high-fiber bean skillet recipes. At my age, I feel like eating enough protein and fiber has become a part-time job. IYKYK. Thankfully, these recipes make the job a lot more delicious. So far, I’ve tried the Lemon Feta Beans with Zucchini and the Pizza Beans. The Garlic Parmesan Beans are next on my list. Easy, nourishing, and actually something I look forward to eating is always a win in my book.
A Thought to Carry With You
"The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today." - Seneca
A Gift for You
After your feedback from last week’s email, I created a journal to help you practice staying rooted in the present.
I hope it gives you a place to slow down, notice what’s good, spend a little time with God, and come back to what matters when your mind starts running ahead.
And for my multifamily professionals, I also put together a list of September Service and Activity Ideas, including a bonus idea you can still use in August.
Here’s to planning ahead while still enjoying where our feet are today.
