We all get behind. It’s inevitable. Our laundry piles up. Our inbox overflows. Those classes we were so excited about transform into undone projects.

And not only do we get behind, we beat ourselves up over it too. We judge our inability to juggle, blame our lack of focus and get discouraged when, in fact, often it’s that there are simply too many demands.

So what do we do when there is so much to catch up on?

Do we book off a week and tackle it top to bottom? Do we chip away at it bit by bit? Do we hit delete and cut our losses? I’ll always remember interviewing Jill Badonsky and her saying that when all of the papers pile too high, she puts them in a box and tucks them away. There’s a creative solution!

What had me thinking about this is that at my gym they book in what they call a Recovery Week whenever there is a month that has 5 weeks in it. This is a chance to take a deep rest, to shift your routine, to go out for walks and get a massage, to come back refreshed and ready to go.

And years ago, in one of my day jobs, we worked an extra half hour every day so that on the third Friday of every month we had the day off. This was a huge blessing. All of us need to do things that are more easily done during the day – doctor’s appointments, haircuts and, in those days, banking.

What do these two examples have in common?

A break in the schedule is a part of the plan!

How could you make this idea work for you?

How can you create some time for that inevitable catch-up, a time when you can muster your forces and get back on track?

First: Create Everyday Ease

Do you know that when you design a garment it is essential that you build in ease? Ease is what allows you to actually move in that pair of pants or skirt. (I won’t tell you about the time I wore a pencil skirt and tried to step up onto the bus! Let’s just say, um, I could have used more ease!)

As you fill your schedule with to-dos, appointments and commitments build in ease. Build space in, around and between what you have booked. Prepare for the unexpected. Allow for movement. You will breathe easier when things go according to plan and have a better ability to manage when things pop off the rails.

Second: Schedule Muster Time

Considering your rhythm, your schedule and your propensity for needing to catch-up, what would be a great way for you to create a regularly scheduled catch-up time? A half-hour every Friday morning to clear those outstanding to-dos? Imagine how much nicer your weekend would feel! Leaving one Saturday morning every month completely unbooked so that if you need to catch-up on things you can and if you don’t have to – wooohooo coffee shop time! Using one of your vacation days each season for big tasks you struggle to get done piecemeal? What would work for you?

Each of us is different and what will work for our personality and our lifestyle is unique but one thing is for sure with some ease we’ll be able to move much more readily through all that catch-up with muster!

Let me know what you are going to try and how it works for you!