If you’re getting sick of your “to do” list getting longer and not shorter and wondering where the heck is all your time going, try writing a “did do” list. Share it with your baby-daddy at the end of the day and encourage him to be very impressed. The truth is that your time is filled with lots and lots of recurring tasks that you never had to deal with before.
So set aside this list:
- Fix chip in front windshield
- Call Amanda back
- Change name with United Airlines
- Order wedding albums
- Buy Whitney’s birthday present
and, for at least one day, make this list:
You get the idea. Own it. Live it. Love it.
If you change 14 diapers per day, you’re a better mother than I am. We average about 7, which between me, baby daddy, and nanny is only 2 or 3 per person.
Ummm, that was back in the day. Now, we pretty much let the pee diapers sit. But, yeah, we still get like 5 to 7 poopy diapers. I have a super pooper on my hands.
I’ve got a super pooper here too and he’s already eight months. My older one is two and a half and we’re toilet training (all new adventures).
Thanks so much for the site ladies. I’m going to pass it on to all my mommy friends.
I call this the “ta da” (as opposed to “to do”) list.
I like it Jenni.
[...] Our bathroom has a huge mirror so Holden could (theoretically) watch himself and the shower and I could see him if I peeked out. Of course, at a few weeks old, he’s not watching anything. Taking a shower feels good all around. Helps with aches, wakes you up, and gives you a great accomplishment. Now, add showering to your ta-da list and get some rest. [...]
[...] RookieMoms: “If you’re getting sick of your “to do” list getting longer and not shorter and wondering where the heck is all your time going, try writing a “did do” list. Share it with your baby-daddy at the end of the day and encourage him to be very impressed. The truth is that your time is filled with lots and lots of recurring tasks…” [...]
[...] This idea came from another “mom” site that I stumbled upon. I love it’s purpose. Over 300 ideas for moms to help them be creative with their children, and themselves. Phenomenal ideas for those “Mom’s so bored gotta do something blues”. This is especially great for 1st time moms. Check it out for yourself, RookieMoms.com. Participate! Leave your comment. [...]
So cute. I totally write things down on a list and then cross them off. Very funny.
I love this! Thank you for this great post and perfect idea!!
Hi, Nice idea. I just incorporated it into my blog as a technique (cognitive-behavioral) for anxiety management! Writing’s one of the best. Good luck with yours, Therapy Doc
I was reminded of this post after a convo w/ another SAHM today. So I wrote up my own list and posted it on my blog.
[...] As an activity on RookieMoms.com, my partner-in-crime Heather recommended that we focus on did-do lists rather than to-do lists. Based on the comments, this suggestion seems to have resonated really strongly with readers, probably because it’s a way to practice the “perfectly good” mantra. This has actually become a daily routine for me. I keep my datebook next to me and add things in that are accomplishments, not just requirements. So hang on for a second, I have to write down that I just wrote this perfectly good sentence. ———————————— > See what other Parent Bloggers have to say about this book > Buy the book on Amazon.com [...]
I did it, too, since I was running out of ideas for NaBloPoMo. Link is above.
Gotta love the RookieMoms! Always coming through with post ideas for me!
I love this idea! I actually did this a week or so back, and I was way more motivated to get things done because I wanted to keep adding to the list.
I’m still just a working mom-to-be, but I’m lovin’ this list too. I feel like I have never-ending, ever-extending to-do lists both at work and at home, and this is a NICE change! Thanks, RMs.
[...] of my all time favorite activity suggestions on the Rookie Moms website is to write a “did do” list instead of a “to do” list. My to do list is long, but my did do list on any given day [...]
[...] a second bathroom to our house. Pity that it wasn’t on our to-do list but I can add it to the did-do list at [...]
Love it! I just found your hysterical blog… aaaaand bookmark.
I did this when my daughter was 2 1/2 months old:
http://whozatshrike.blogspot.com/2009/01/blog-post.html
Later, when she was 10 1/2 months, I did similar post:
http://whozatshrike.blogspot.com/2009/09/so-what-do-you-do-all-day.html
She’s 17 months now. I should do it again!
I LOVE this idea! That way when hubby asks, “Did you do A, B and C,” I can say, “Not B or C, but I did all this!”
And I’m with Kelly. Having to-do lists for work and home is quite overwhelming. This is a nice break from that
So funny, and such a good idea. Sometimes I feel like people never really realize all that moms do in a day.
[...] to do with (and without) babies. One of the ideas they featured on their site is the idea of a Did Do list (instead of a To Do list) to make you feel a little more accomplished when the “only” [...]
I’ve seen this exact post somewhere else years ago, but can’t find it now–did you post this on another blog once?
Hi D! We wrote about it on this blog and it was featured on Parent Dish eons ago. There’s also a similar activity in our very awesome book.
[...] Our pal Deb shares a blow-by-blow(-out) account of her day with baby Leah. We appreciate the geeky attention to detail as well has her sense of humor in this mega-did-do-list. [...]
[...] Rookie Moms was one of the first blogs I read regularly. Whitney and Heather live in my area and their children are close in age to mine so their blog about activities to do with babies in tow was a good fit with my life when Wyatt was little. As the years have gone by, Rookie Moms has expanded to include activities for older children so I still read it daily. And as an extra bonus, Whitney and Heather have become my good friends in real life. If you’re looking for a place to start on Rookie Moms, check out my all time most favorite post: Write a “did do” list. [...]
[...] always more fun than wiping someone's tushy!I was delighted by Fitnessista’s summary of her did-do list and all the reader comments on her site that followed that [...]
[...] I’m not doing, I decided to focus on what I have accomplished in those 4 days. I read on Rookie Moms that instead of making to-do lists, you should make did-do lists to showcase all that you have [...]
[...] credit for coming up with the “I did” list, but I can’t. I actually read about it here, here, and [...]
[...] Don’t try to tackle more than one thing a day. Still feeling under water? Try to make a did-do list for a few [...]
Brilliant! What a perfect way to give yourself a boost. I really need to start doing that…instead of staring blankly at my to do list at the end of the day wondering what on earth I actually did do.
@Cerise, That’s the magic thing about caring for a baby: you don’t realize all the stuff you’re busy doing but it’s impossible to get anything else done!