Failed Plans: How to NOT Get it All Done

Do you feel like failed plans are just part of your everyday existence…like no matter how many blog posts or articles you read about scheduling, using your time wisely, and accomplishing more, you never can seem to finish the to-do list? And all those articles just leave you feeling like a constant failure because everyone else seems to have this magic ability except you!

I can relate! I have never felt like I fit in with the time management masters, despite trying my hardest. Finally, after so many years, I have a to-do list that works for me, but I still never seem to get it all done!

So, I want to propose to you that maybe we need to simply learn “How to NOT Get It All Done.” 😉

It sounds silly, doesn’t it? But there’s a mindset shift we all need to learn to master, even if we can’t quite master the to-do list. Too many of us feel overwhelmed with life, beating ourselves up when we don’t get the “to-do” list done every day.

I want to not only encourage you to make some mindset shifts, but also give you some practical tips for dealing with the inevitability of NOT getting it all done!

Why God Allows Failed Plans

“I’m only one person.” It’s a refrain I’ve sometimes found myself repeating in my head over and over. “I’m only one person! How can I get it all done?”

Well, God knows our limitations! He gave us only 24 hours in a day, so it IS sufficient! Can you get it all done, realistically? No. So the only logical conclusion is that you’re not supposed to. He supplies ALL our needs. Therefore, we have to make peace with our failed plans and NOT getting it all done.

As an illustration, let’s start with a story from the archives of the Papageorgiou family.

Christmas of 2016 was a really busy time for us, as it is for most people. For about a week, I had been trying to vacuum our air purifier.

Simple job, right?

But it was on top of a tall bookcase in our room and dragging the vacuum in there did not sound fun to me. Finally, we were organizing one Saturday and I felt like I could get to it and knock it off the list. Five minutes. That’s all it should have taken and about all the time I had.

Rather than tell you the entire drawn-out version of the story, let me just give you the bullet-point version of what it ended up involving:

Finding a chair to stand on (it was on top of a tall bookcase).
Moving a heavy box on the vacuum cord.
Finding a screwdriver after I realized I should also replace the bulb in the unit at the same time.
Using an electric screwdriver when I couldn’t find a manual one.
Whir, whir, whir…a stripped screw. Great.
Finding pliers to yank the back panel off.
Resorting to a screwdriver instead.
Yanking the panel off and breaking the lightbulb inside.
Stuck broken lightbulb.
Finding leather gloves to remove the lightbulb.
Discovering the strangely soft and crunchy item in the finger of the glove was a smashed snail. Gross.
Removing broken bulb, replacing with new bulb.
Returning air purifier to top of bookcase and turning it on.
Click, click, click.
Discovering I had unplugged it months ago in anticipation of cleaning it.
Pull out heavy bookcase to plug air unit in.
Plug it in, discover the bookcase won’t go back against the wall.
Remember the surge protector under the bookcase is where I should plug it in.
And finally….
SUCCESS!!

So, how long did this “five-minute job” of dusting an air purifier take?

35 Minutes, folks.

So, these five-minute jobs rarely end up being only five minutes. A schedule and expectations have to be realistic and unfortunately, reality is that your schedule will rarely function exactly the way you’ve planned. Life doesn’t work that way and neither do children.

But, God always has a plan. My five-minute job was for Him an opportunity to teach me patience and to end up with a good illustration for this post. I may not have gotten to other things in my schedule, but I not only got it dusted, but also replaced the light and put this illustration out here to the world so you know you’re not alone!

The problem isn’t that our schedules don’t go according to plan. The problem is that we don’t accept when they don’t go according to plan. We don’t accept when the Lord “establishes our steps” differently than what we had planned. The schedule is only ever meant to be a guide.

So when it doesn’t go according to plan, we need to try to see what God is teaching. Sometimes we don’t really allow HIM to be the teacher in our homes. We have the master plan and we ignore the Master’s Plan. Never forget that no matter how good your schedule looks on paper, His unique plan for each day is always better.

So, how do you make peace with NOT getting it all done?

Mindset Shifts for Embracing Failed Plans

1. Let go of perfectionism.

Yes, I see you out there, fellow perfectionist! And I’m telling you, it’s okay to let go of your obsessive-compulsive need to line up all the glasses in the dishwasher perfectly, or iron the sheets and underwear (seriously heard of someone doing that once!).

For real. RELAX!

I remember when my kids were just babies and I would get caught up in folding the laundry perfectly. After spending about an hour too long trying to accomplish the perfectly-folded laundry, it suddenly hit me that it really didn’t matter. If all the wrinkles were perfectly flat and I never got to planning out the lessons (yes, at that time I thought I had to have a Kindergarten curriculum…ha!), then it was kind of silly.

It took a while, but I learned to break myself of that ridiculous habit and just get them in some state of “folded” that was adequate enough.

2. Embrace God’s to-do list.

This second one is SO important because if we can learn to tune in to what God really wants us to accomplish, then we will actually complete far more of our daily tasks and feel much more accomplished.

Years ago, I started a habit of praying through my daily to-do list. I use an app called Todoist that I keep on my phone. It works well for me because I can move items around and not feel overwhelmed from scribbles and arrows and the sense of never finishing things that all that scribbling always brought me.

But regardless of your choice of tools, it’s important to go through and really ask God what He wants you to focus on for the day. As homeschool moms, especially, we make a lot of assumptions based on what we’re told by society and the government. We put so much extra pressure on ourselves that God never intended!

You may still not accomplish all the things you thought He wanted you to, but this is where we have to learn contentment. Don’t covet all the supposed accomplishments of your fellow homeschooling (or non-homeschooling) moms! You just be faithful and He will honor that.

3. Be grateful.

And speaking of coveting what your neighbor has in the way of accomplishments, let’s be honest here: NO ONE is getting it all done! It’s easy in this day and age of Instagram and Facebook to get caught up in all the amazing homeschools around us and what other families are doing, but I guarantee they are not always Instagram-Reel-pretty in real life!

Rather than comparing your family to others’, stop and take a look at all you’ve done and learn to be grateful for where you are, right now. Learn to appreciate your family, faults and all. And then pray! Change must start first with gratitude.

“…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” -Philippians 4:6.

I’m a big fan of the pioneer homeschoolers from the early movement. We all stand on their shoulders, though few of us today really realize that. One of those pioneers, Tina Farewell, wrote a very helpful post that she allowed me to share a few years ago called “What Am I Really Accomplishing?” Sometimes we just need to be reminded how worthwhile even the most mundane tasks really are!

Practical Ideas for Embracing Failed Plans

Now that we’ve dealt with the mindset shift and hopefully shown how important it is to embrace NOT getting it all done, we need to talk about some practical ways to embrace failed plans. These deal with all three aspects of you…

1. Physical (Temple maintenance/”self-care”)

I’m not a huge fan of the “self-care” culture of today. I think often it is more like “selfish-care”! But even Jesus went away from the crowds and rested from time to time. He knew that he was in a physical body with limitations, and he was careful to steward that well. We certainly wouldn’t call Jesus selfish!

So, I to differentiate between the world’s idea of self-care and a self-care that is biblical, I like to call it “temple maintenance.” 😉 The three basic questions you need to ask yourself about your “temple” are:

Are you resting enough?
Are you eating enough?
Are you drinking enough?

Neglecting any one of these can lead to a very cranky mom who will struggle greatly with those inevitable failed plans! The body has these basic needs and will revolt if they are not met.

2. Emotional/mental

Make time for fun and relaxation – As crazy as it may sound, every evening I prioritize taking a nice, hot bath with my husband before bed. It’s relaxing and gives us time to talk or watch something on TV together while we soak.
Prioritize relationships – You’ll never regret breaking just to talk or play a game with your kids. The school work and laundry can wait! Children grow up.
Vacation from the to-do list – Okay, here’s another crazy idea. Don’t look at your to-do list for a day, just following the Holy Spirit’s prompting instead. Even if you can’t set the list aside completely, take a mini-vacation by just listing your top 3 priorities and nothing else for the day. I promise you’ll be amazed by how accomplished you feel at the end of the day, having just tackled the things that come into your path! Usually I find those are the things that have been weighing on me the most.
Finish a big project around the house – …or something little that’s been on the list forever. Again, this is similar to the last idea, and it can be so encouraging! Just recently, I finally went through a couple boxes from my mother-in-law that had been sitting in my dining room since she passed away in 2021. It wasn’t a “big” project, but it was big to me and felt SO good to check off the list!

3. Spiritual

Prioritize God and give Him your to-do list – Spend time with God first thing every morning and be intentional about giving Him your to-do list for the day. You are never too busy to spend time with Him! Use Luther’s quote below as a challenge. I have (well, maybe not a full three hours, but not setting a time-limit on my devotions), and I’m telling you it works! Those are my most productive days.

Rejoice in the Lord – Find ways to praise Him, even when you feel discouraged or frustrated. You can keep a gratitude journal, play praise music, share with your kids testimonies of God’s goodness, etc. This is what Scripture calls a “sacrifice of praise” and it is pleasing to God!
Thank Him for what you DO get done, even as you ask for help – It’s important to note that it is okay to ask for God’s help to accomplish more. Being ambitious is okay, but it’s all about our heart attitude. Thank Him for the little wins rather than just whining about your failed plans!

Where to Focus With Failed Plans

In summary, I want to leave you with a passage to meditate on. God’s Word is always the best solution to all our failed plans!

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you,” – Philippians 4:4-8.

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Danielle Papageorgiou has been homeschooling, or “lifeschooling,” for 21 years (she counts birth as day 1!) and has blogged, spoken, and run her own conference for many of those years. She has a passion for helping other homeschoolers learn how to homeschool in a way that does not compete with family life, but actually enhances it…homeschooling done in a spirit of freedom, not legalism.