This week we’re getting real about that all-too-familiar feeling behind—whether it’s your to-do list, New Year’s intentions, or just life in general. We talk about what rushing actually looks like in our lives, why it rarely helps with time management, and how our culture’s obsession with busyness (and perfectionism) can make us feel like we’re never caught up. We share how we’re reframing what progress looks like, the thrill of finishing tasks, and how to choose a smoother, more self-compassionate pace (even when life feels hectic).

Timestamped Highlights

• 00:44: That creeping feeling behind—why it shows up so quickly
• 01:59: The power of finishing dreaded tasks (and a British-accented banker named Jaunty)
• 03:13: Carrying over tasks week to week—and the relief of clearing the decks
• 05:01: How finishing little tasks clears space for bigger goals
• 05:35: The magic of a “power hour”
• 06:19: The myth of being behind and the dangers of rushing
• 08:47: Unrealistic expectations and honoring your own pace
• 09:28: Letting our priorities (and word of the year!) guide our choices
• 13:11: Setting boundaries around work and personal time
• 15:13: Mornings, rushing, and the wisdom of “slow is smooth, smooth is fast”
• 17:10: How choosing your pace can change everything

Key Takeaways

• The feeling behind is often a myth—there’s no universal timeline we should be on.
• Clearing small tasks can free up mental space for bigger goals and better time management.
• Rushing rarely saves time and often leads to mistakes or missing out on good things.
• Boundaries (like not working weekends) help us enjoy both work and rest.
• We get to choose our pace—let our values and priorities lead the way, with a little self-compassion.

Bottom Line

You’re not actually behind—there’s no official schedule you have to follow. Let go of the rush and find a pace that works for you, right now.

Let's Connect

Do you tend to feel behind? What helps you bring more ease and smoothness into your days?

• Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
• Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
• Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com

Want More Like This? (Related Episodes)

Episode 41: Can It Be Too Easy? We talk about why letting things be easy sometimes feels so strange, and how giving ourselves permission to choose the easier path can actually help us move forward—especially when we’re feeling behind or overwhelmed.

Episode 60: The Problem with Labels Oh, those labels we put on ourselves—like “behind” or “not enough”—and how those stories can keep us stuck. If you’re working on being kinder to yourself, you’ll find some encouragement and maybe a laugh or two.

Episode 156: Feeling Good About Good Enough We get honest about how tough it can be to stop chasing perfection and start feeling good about “good enough.” If you’re learning to embrace progress and let go of unrealistic expectations, this episode is for you.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:00:00

Hey, Janine.

Janine Adams: 00:00:01

Hey, Shannon. How you doing?

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:00:03

I'm doing really well. We have beautiful blue sky today.

Janine Adams: 00:00:07

Oh, that's nice. Is it warm out to go with that blue sky? No, no.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:00:14

But it's nice to look at from inside the cozy house.

Janine Adams: 00:00:18

That's right. We also have blue sky and a beautiful sunrise this morning. But it's cold out, so I'm just glad I'm inside. Yeah.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:00:25

I mean, it is January. It's winter. I sort of find myself at this time.

And we just talked about like word of the year and January and all this stuff, but I already feel like I'm behind. I should be like more on top of whatever.

Janine Adams: 00:00:44

Like the New Year's passing you by, right? Yeah, it's. We're recording this on January 12th and you feeling behind?

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:00:53

Yeah, it's ridiculous.

Janine Adams: 00:00:56

Yeah, it is ridiculous. But boy, it's such a natural way to feel, I think.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:01:01

So.

Janine Adams: 00:01:02

I feel like January 1st was about three weeks, three months ago. I mean, I was gonna say it.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:01:07

Was not that far from three weeks ago.

Janine Adams: 00:01:10

I know, that was. It started with. Yeah. But I really mean, it's. I feel like Christmas was a long time ago and so I've lost the new year. New car smell.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:01:24

Yeah, the new year mojo.

Janine Adams: 00:01:28

Right? Right. Yeah. Yeah. But I try hard not to feel behind. I gotta tell you that today I powered through my task list.

Like, I wrote down all the things I've been putting off. They're all phone calls. And so I just did them.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:01:47

And like your most hated tasks.

Janine Adams: 00:01:49

Uh huh. And by the time I walked Bix this morning, they were all done. So that felt good.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:01:56

That's impressive. That's gonna feel really good.

Janine Adams: 00:01:59

Yeah. I didn't wanna do it, but I wanted the feeling of having done it, so I did it.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:02:03

Yeah. Yeah.

Janine Adams: 00:02:04

Cause I was. I was suffering consequences for not having done something right.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:02:09

Did that help you feel sort of less behind by getting.

Janine Adams: 00:02:13

Absolutely. I mean, these things. Some of them, like, I had to call a veterinarian for records for the insurance company and I had to call bank.

I had to call a bank. And you know what? The guy was great. He had a British accent and his name was Jaunty.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:02:34

Jaunty, I love that.

Janine Adams: 00:02:36

Uh huh. He was very jaunty. So it turned out to be a pleasant experience.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:02:42

Would it have been really funny if he was like morose and like an Eeyore and his name was Jaunty?

Janine Adams: 00:02:48

Yeah. Or if he was jaunty, like he was and his name was Eeyore? Yeah, that would have been funny.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:02:53

Too. Well, I mean, just being called Eeyore, really.

Janine Adams: 00:02:57

Yeah.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:02:58

Yeah.

Janine Adams: 00:02:58

So, no, I definitely feel like first part of the. I mean, it's Monday and all these things on my list that have been carried over on my list are finally done. So that's. That's.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:03:13

Yeah. A nice feeling, as you're saying that.

I'm realizing, I think that's part of where the feeling of being behind comes from, is carrying stuff over week to week. And maybe the antidote to that is being more realistic what I.

About what I can do so I'm not carrying stuff over and over and over and then choosing to have that thrill of finishing things as opposed to succumbing to the desire to not ever do them ever, ever, ever.

Janine Adams: 00:04:00

Yeah, I think that's good. And that thrill really is powerful. But the trick is, I think, to.

To focus on it, the thrill, and not on all the other things that you h. Still have to do. Right, right. So that's how that, you know, being realistic is really helpful.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:04:20

Yeah. And it's.

It's interesting how sort of the day to day stuff like we're talking about impacts the bigger picture because I'm feeling sort of behind in a. In a more general sense. Like it.

It feels for whatever reason, like it's March or something and I should be much further ahead in my life, not just my task list.

And just completing the tasks, though, I think will ease some of that pressure I'm putting on myself or, you know, that feeling, it sort of like clears.

Janine Adams: 00:05:01

The decks, clears the cobwebs. I don't know if it's.

Cobwebs is the right bird, but gives you a clearer path toward working on the big picture things sometimes rather than sweeping the little things under the rug to deal with later if you actually just deal with them.

And I haven't used this terminology in a while, but I used to regularly schedule what I called a power hour, where I would just try to get through as many of these things as I can in an hour. And that's pretty much what I did this morning. It was more like. It was a couple of hours, but I was on a roll, man. It was great.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:05:36

Knocking things out left and right. Yeah.

Janine Adams: 00:05:39

Yeah.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:05:41

Well, I, I do sort of love that you're two hours ahead of me because you getting all this stuff done inspires me to get it done and makes, you know, it sort of makes my day feel easier, more doable.

Janine Adams: 00:05:56

Well, that's nice. Well, feel free to text me if you. When you get it done. I notice I Changed from if to when.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:06:04

Yeah, I did notice that.

Janine Adams: 00:06:06

Any way I can provide some accountability will be great.

I mean, part of me wants to just take the rest of the day off after having gotten so much done today, but I've got stuff I more stuff to do, so I won't.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:06:19

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I do think it's interesting, this sort of the greater feeling of being, of feeling behind, not being behind, but feeling behind.

Because I mean, there is no behind like we talked about a couple of weeks ago, you know, this myth of catching up. I think the feeling of being behind is a myth too. Like you're not really behind in your life. You're just where you're at where you are.

Janine Adams: 00:06:44

Right. And that feeling behind and feeling like you have to rush, that rushing can be detrimental. Right.

And it might mean you're not being present enough to enjoy what you're doing or it might mean you're putting yourself in actual peril. What pops to mind is that time a million years ago when I was late to a talk that I was giving and I turned the wrong way on a one way street.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:07:11

Oh, right.

Janine Adams: 00:07:12

Yeah. And all because I was rushing. Yeah, that was not good at all.

So when I'm rushing, like physically rushing, if whether I'm walking the dog more quickly than I would otherwise because I'm running late or whether it's because my task list is so big, I have to get back to it.

I'm missing out for sure on good things like if I'm not walking my dog also I'm more likely to fall down, which I am always afraid of and haven't knock wood and like seven months. Yeah, right. But yeah, so that rushing, rushing is to be avoided, in my opinion. And that feeling of being behind is what sometimes causes us to rush.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:07:57

Right, right.

And if you are rushing, you are more likely to make a mistake or have an accident or you know, somehow cause yourself greater harm than if you just, you know, took a moment to kind of center yourself and be present and do what you're doing. And you know, maybe that means reassessing what is really most important in this moment, what really needs to happen and what's reasonable.

I think that feeling can also come from, you know, sort of going back to what we were saying earlier, from feeling like you can do or should do more than you can in reality.

Janine Adams: 00:08:47

Right, right. We can put so much pressure on ourselves with unrealistic expectations for what we should be able to accomplish. And that should changes. Right.

As we age, as our circumstances change. Yeah, that's a very good point. The other thing that crossed my mind while you were talking is priorities and what's important to you. Right.

So it all boils down to that, like we don't have to do everything.

And if we find we can't because there's too many things on our list, then we maybe edit that list based on what's important to us and maybe even based on our word of the year.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:09:28

Right, yeah. That's what I was thinking is, you know, letting that be sort of the North Star.

And, you know, I'm wanting to remember that I'd rather be doing a few things well than many things poorly.

Janine Adams: 00:09:47

Absolutely. And I want to be doing things I enjoy and not even necessarily well. I just want to enjoy them.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:09:57

Because whether you're doing them well or poorly does not hinder your enjoyment of it necessarily.

Janine Adams: 00:10:05

That's right. Depending on the thing, I suppose. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I. I feel like as I finally sort of reached a part of life where I stopped rushing so much.

Like probably after we moved and I had. I was home with Barry and doing less work as a result.

I mean, my expectations about going out to clients homes weren't there because I have wonderful employees doing that. Right. So I got to, I got to slow down and that was great. Not feeling so behind.

And then just this month we started doing some things with the business administratively that has caused me to feel behind again, which is not a pleasant feeling, especially after I actually got out of it.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:10:54

Right.

Janine Adams: 00:10:55

So it's a, it's a good reminder that that's not where I want to be and I still need to do this stuff. So I need to think about how to frame it for myself so I don't feel behind.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:11:10

Yeah, yeah. Because, you know, sometimes you're literally running behind, like time wise, you know, running late.

And sometimes it's more of frame of mind, like you're feeling behind.

Janine Adams: 00:11:26

Right.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:11:27

And that's really based on some standard or expectation that you've put on yourself or that you've taken in from external places or people. And I think too part of it is, I know I feel so removed from it, from consciously taking myself out of it.

But, you know, our culture, particularly American Western culture, has a real premium on being busy. And like, it's good to be busy. If you're not busy, something's wrong with you. Like you need to be doing more if you're not busy.

And if you're just sort of going leisurely throughout your day, even if you're accomplishing everything you want to accomplish. There's something wrong about that.

And I, that's something that I really try to embrace that feeling of moving through my day more calmly even if I have a lot to do.

Janine Adams: 00:12:31

Absolutely agreed. Not. There's a mental space where you're feeling a little frenetic or behind or rush, rush. And it's so nice when you're not living that way.

And that's where I usually am. And it's a great thing. And you're right. People like, how many people do you know when you say how are you? They say, oh good, I'm busy, busy, busy.

But I'm good. And I like having more idle time. I think, in fact I set a goal for this year.

It's only a couple weeks in and I'm sorry, semi successful of not working on the weekend. Like not working on my business.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:13:11

Right.

Janine Adams: 00:13:12

Yeah. So I might do, I might do some budget coaching, but which there's the exception.

But it feels strange to think on a Saturday that I'm not going to actually work at running my business. Right. Yeah.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:13:26

Right.

Janine Adams: 00:13:26

So I, I didn't this past Saturday. It was great.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:13:30

Yeah, well, and that's, you know, the problem with self employment entrepreneurship, working from home is it's really hard to create those boundaries and it's really easy for work to seep into, you know, everything, days and hours that you might not normally be working if you had a job that you went to.

Janine Adams: 00:13:55

So I'm trying to draw some boundaries. We'll see how it goes.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:13:59

Yeah, I mean especially if you're working on stuff that you don't enjoy working on on the weekend, that seems.

Janine Adams: 00:14:07

Yeah, that's a good point. Usually I enjoy, I like running my business. So usually whatever the tasks are, I don't mind doing them but.

And even so I want to try to focus on the other stuff, the more personal stuff on the weekends. We'll see.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:14:24

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean I think that's a really good one because there's not a strong reason not to do it.

Like it's not actively harming you, but it's just a choice that you're making. And so remembering why that's important to you, why you even wanted to do that in the first place might help.

Janine Adams: 00:14:47

Yeah.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:14:47

I keep thinking about mornings and how easy it is to feel rushed in the morning. And I mean we're both lucky in that we don't often have to be out of the house by a certain time.

But on days when I do, it's easy to feel rushed and I know that's something a lot of people deal with, especially people with kids who are trying to manage kids and stuff.

Janine Adams: 00:15:13

And.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:15:16

On the, on the days when I do have to get out of the house, I try to very consciously notice how much time I have, how much time things take, give myself a lot of cushion so that I can feel at ease as I'm moving through my day. Because feeling rushed doesn't actually make me take less time. It often I make mistakes. I have to.

You know that when I'm feeling rushed is when I go out to the car, realize I forgot something, go back in, go back.

You know, I like make three trips because I was rushing as opposed to taking 30 seconds to think, okay, what all, what do I need to have when I walk out the door?

And even if I have it already, I sitting in one spot, like I can have my water bottle and I can have my hearing aids and I can have, you know, everything I need sitting right there and I can still walk out the door without it.

Janine Adams: 00:16:20

If I'm rushing, it's reminding me of that great phrase from Modern Family where Phil Dunphy says slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

He's talking to his kids about getting out the door before the alarm goes off because they're setting the alarm to leave for vacation and they're rehearsing this because they never use their alarm. And slow is smooth and smooth is fast. It's, it's so true.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:16:43

Yeah, it really is. It really is. And just thinking about this is like another way that my word of the year choose can come into play.

Like I can choose to move through what may be hectic or time compressed times smoothly rather than feeling rushed.

Janine Adams: 00:17:11

Yeah. That's a choice. And I'm lucky because I like to get up early, so. And I wake up awake.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:17:19

Yeah.

Janine Adams: 00:17:20

So my deal is I just get up three hours before I have to be anywhere to leave the house no matter what. Unless I don't have to leave the house. And then I just wake up when I want to. But that three hour window is what I need to like, not rush.

And, and then it's not a stressful calculation. Like. Right. I mean, I mean if I have to leave for the airport at five in the morning, I'm not going to get up at 2.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:17:45

Yeah.

Janine Adams: 00:17:46

Because that's crazy talk. But then I have to do a calculation.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:17:50

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I know a big part of that is like walking bics and stuff. And if you're leaving to the airport, that's probably getting managed some other way.

Janine Adams: 00:17:59

That's a nice way to put it. Yes. There's no way I'm walking Bix before I leave for a five o' clock airport. Yeah, you're right though.

And Bix is unpredictable how long it's going to take to walk him. So that's why I have to have a great big buffer.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:18:12

Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. Well, we would love to hear from you, our listeners. Do you have a tendency to feel behind?

-GTGE. That's: 4843

Or you can head over to our website at gettingtogoodenough.com and sign up for our emails where you get notified for each episode and you can reply to each episode and let us know know what you're thinking. Until next time. This is Shannon Wilkinson in Portland, Oregon.

Janine Adams: 00:19:06

And Janine Adams in St. Louis, Missouri.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:19:09

And we hope that Good Enough is getting easier for you. Thanks for joining us on Getting to Good Enough. We hope you heard something that makes your life just a little bit easier.

If you did, leave us a review or share this with someone who's looking for their own version of Good Enough.

Janine Adams: 00:19:25

Thanks for listening. See you soon. I I have to say I'm distracted because your lipstick matches your sweater so perfectly.

Shannon Wilkinson: 00:19:41

Oh, that accidental.

Janine Adams: 00:19:48

It's great. Keep it.