{"id":3735,"date":"2010-05-08T10:04:08","date_gmt":"2010-05-08T18:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gtdtimes.com\/?p=3735"},"modified":"2024-05-09T07:40:09","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T14:40:09","slug":"gtd-for-moms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gettingthingsdone.com\/2010\/05\/gtd-for-moms\/","title":{"rendered":"GTD for Moms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Community Contribution from April Perry<\/em>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mothers need Getting Things Done<\/em> as much as (or more than!) any other group. Why? Let me show you a glimpse into my life \u201cpre-GTD.\u201d<\/p>\n

My 7-year-old son, Ethan<\/strong>: Mom, want to see this cool toy lizard I got as a prize today?<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: Yep. Ooh. That\u2019s neat. (Then in my head) I need to buy paper towels, we have ants in the bathroom, it\u2019s my niece\u2019s birthday Friday, there\u2019s a permission slip form somewhere around here I need to sign<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

Ethan<\/strong>: Mom, you\u2019re not even looking!<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: Sorry. Okay. Yes, I really do like that lizard. What\u2019s his name? I didn\u2019t even exercise today. I\u2019ll remember tomorrow. Don\u2019t I need a sitter for Friday night? How\u2019s the laundry doing? If I could just get that laundry room organized, I would feel so much better. Where\u2019s that book I was reading? I need to remember to get some chocolate chips at the store. The carpet needs to be vacuumed. Where\u2019s the baby?<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Ethan<\/strong>: Look, Mom! Right here. The lizard has cool eyes that pop out when I squeeze his neck.<\/p>\n

By this point, I\u2019m so frustrated with the dialogue in my head that I just ask Ethan to show me his toy later (which won\u2019t happen), and I head off to find the baby and then make some progress (any <\/em>progress) on my continually-growing list of \u201cto do\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scenarios like the one above have a familiar ring to every mother out there. I wish the hospital would include a copy of Getting Things Done<\/em> in every take-home diaper bag, but I don\u2019t think the world in general understands how incredibly overwhelmed mothers are. We\u2019re struggling every day to handle the PTA newsletters, the little feet that keep growing out of shoes, the fishy cracker crumbs on the couch, and the band-aids stuck to the inside of the dryer. We try to use our talents, nurture our minds, and save the world, but we end up discouraged when we realize there\u2019s no way we can \u201cdo it all.\u201d Mothers love their children and want to have a handle on all the \u201cstuff\u201d of life, so we can enjoy moments like the photo above.<\/p>\n

No one likes<\/em> living with stress, but many mothers simply don\u2019t know there\u2019s another option. Once they find out about Getting Things Done<\/em>, their lives will change.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what Getting Things Done <\/em>has done for me:<\/p>\n