Years ago, when technology started taking over every part of our lives, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and embrace the digital to-do list. I had the apps, the pop-up reminders, the color-coded categories—I was basically one step away from needing an IT department just to keep track of my life.
The only problem? I never actually remembered to check the app.
I’d sit at my desk, open my laptop, and—poof—completely forget that my snazzy-dazzled organizational system even existed. It was like my brain ran two separate operating systems: one full of “I should be organized” intentions and another that just… didn’t get the memo.
After years of trying, and I do mean, YEARS, I finally accepted the truth: my brain was not designed for digital to-do lists. So, like a true 80s kid who still appreciates good handwriting and the smell of fresh paper, I went to Amazon and ordered an actual to-do list notebook. A real, hold-it-in-your-hands, old-school, check-the-boxes-like-a-champ kind of list. And guess what? It worked!
I made it through all of 2024 faithfully checking off my tasks like some kind of productivity queen. And I was so proud of my little system—until 2025 rolled around, and my to-do list booklet decided to play a game of hide-and-seek.
That’s what happens when you move. You think you’ve packed everything neatly, labeled every box like some sort of organizational mastermind, and yet... the one thing you actually need is nowhere to be found. So now, instead of my trusty to-do list (until it’s found), my new system consists of scribbling important notes on the back of a random piece of mail—classic mom-style. (You know, like the "Don't forget to empty the dishwasher when you get home!" notes that magically appeared on the kitchen counter growing up.)
And here we are. No to-do list. No structure. No Monday article this week (because I forgot) because my whole system vanished like a gust of wind in Chicago. (Which, by the way, is aggressive wind. That city doesn’t play.)
Now, I could lean on some valid excuses—moving, not having my office set up yet, my normal routines being out of whack—but honestly, this whole situation has me thinking about something deeper:
How often do we set out with the best intentions—whether in our schedules, our faith, or just life in general—only for something to derail us? And before we know it, we’re standing there, staring at the mess, wondering how we got off track.
And in that moment, we have two options:
Stress out and let frustration win.
Laugh and move on.
I choose laughter.
Because, as Proverbs 17:22 reminds us:
"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength."
God never called us to have everything perfectly together. He called us to trust Him through the mess, lean into grace, and sometimes you just have to laugh at the fact that life doesn’t always go according to plan.
So, if you’re like me this week—feeling a little scattered, a little off-track, and maybe wondering how to find your groove again—take a deep breath. God’s not measuring your worth by how well you keep it all together.
At the end of the day, whether our schedules are perfectly planned or look more like a scribbled mess on the back of junk mail, His grace is still enough.
And hey, if you happen to see my to-do list floating around somewhere, send it my way. 😆