Q&A: How Do You Do It?

I get questions like this often.

"So, can you tell me how you do it? :) how you manage to be a mother/raise children, grow more than a quick, average garden, read more books than many mothers manage to get around to, make all sorts of delicious recipes, and who knows how many other pursuits you have...home decorating? Sewing, canning, cleaning..."- Karissa

In the past I wrote about How to Do It All - the answer to my frustrations to not getting everything done that I wish.

I really don't do everything, even if it looks like it. Blogging can give a distorted picture of life. Like every other mom, I have to put food on the table. I just snap a picture of it (my children say that I take far too many pictures of food). And occasionally I pull out one of those photos and type up the recipe to share with all of you blog friends. But I hate to think that I might contribute to your discouragement because of blogging.

Every mom is busy. I don't think I do anything more than most moms, I just write about it, and somehow that makes it appear like more. Like everyone else, including you, I wake up in the morning and do one thing, and then one more, and on through the day. I don't get nearly everything done that I wish. My to-do list is never all checked off. But with one thing at a time, something gets done. At the end of the day I read a few pages and somehow those few pages turn into books by the end of the year.

One thing at a time. Or as Elisabeth Elliot used to say "Do the next thing."

Of course there is many other facets. We all have seasons of life. We all have times when even the bare necessities of life are hard to accomplish, when even putting a meal on the table looks like an impossibility.

Also our background and training make a huge impact on our present lives.

I grew up in a large farming family. As the oldest daughter I had the experience of cooking vast amounts of food, doing huge piles of laundry, and canning bushels of tomatoes. I learned many shortcuts and today I can fly through a pile of ironing, zip through sewing a dress, and cook a meal while holding a baby.

Maybe you had to start from scratch at learning homemaking skills. Give yourself a break and don't fall into the comparison trap. And waiting behind that is the Perfectionist Trap.

I heard an older mom say that she was a good plodder. She was a talented woman with a many children who accomplished a huge amount. But she didn't have any secrets, she only said that she as a good plodder. Every morning she woke up, put one foot in front of another, and moved through her day. With years of faithfully, day after day, showing up, doing one thing at a time, the results are amazing.

Plodding might not sound exciting. But I have seen its effectiveness. 

Next I'll share what I do NOT do. And my secret sanity saver.

So how do you do it? Have any secrets to share with us? Do you think blogging gives a false view of life? How can we guard from comparing ourselves with others? (If I'm going to answer your questions - then I'll ask you some as well.)