I often find myself overwhelmed with the many tasks I need to get done when it comes to cleaning the house, doing everyday things, doing school, etc.. Sometimes there are so many different tasks that it overwhelms me to the point I can't focus on doing any of them. It's important to recognize such challenges within ourselves, so we can know how to help ourselves do better. Finally realizing my challenges, helped me know I can address it.

As much as I would like to think I can remember and plan everything in my head, constantly having to remind myself is stressful. Luckily we live in an age of technology that has many tools for people like myself who have trouble focusing. There are a variety of scheduling apps out there. Even simple ones like google tasks make it easy to quickly jot down all your task and have reminders on your phone and other devices. And another app I found even lets you attach pictures to your tasks as a visual aid.

I finally decided to give the apps a try and find one that works for me. Already I feel a weight lifted as I enter every task into google tasks. I can even get specific. I have to pack, and when it comes to packing I have always made a mental list days ahead of time of all the items I have to remember to pack, and that list will repeat over and over in my head for days on end until it stresses me out. With the tasks app, I can include subtasks, so in the subtask, under "pack," I listed all the individual items to pack. Breaking down the specifics of a task is helpful for me and to be able to put this in an app instead of constantly remember it in my mind is freeing. Now I can actually focus on what needs to get done.

I am amazed how long it took me to recognize I was struggling with managing my time and how much it stressed me out. Sometimes it's hard to realize we need help, and there is nothing wrong with needing help. Getting help is the difference between being so stressed out and overwhelmed you can't function versus having your mind free to think and focus.

And sometimes the job is just so much you need to ask someone else to assist or do it for you, and that's okay. With school assignments due and a house that was a mess, I couldn't do it all and finally decided to get a cleaning service, something I've never done. It was the best decision I could make, and it gave me peace of mind to be able to focus on my school assignments without continually worrying about how messy the house is.

It's important we are honest with ourselves and able to recognize what we struggle with, and for me, one of those huge struggles is managing my time, and even something as simple as a tasks app can help with that.