When the List Gets Loud

I had to laugh at myself this week, because apparently I have been out here giving people solid advice that I may need to sit down and receive for myself.

You ever do that? Tell somebody else, “Now don’t try to do everything at once,” while your own life is looking like a group project where every group member is you?

That was me.

I have been telling folks, especially creative women and small business owners, not to put too much on their plate. Do not try to launch everything at the same time. Do not overwhelm yourself. Do not turn your business into a circus and then wonder why you are tired.

Meanwhile, I am over here running Shopify, Etsy, and Creative Fabrica after a fresh rebrand that is barely two months old. Studio Cre8 is still in its baby rebrand stage, needing snacks, patience, and a nap. And then, because apparently I looked at my schedule and thought it had too much breathing room, I said, “You know what would be nice? A weekly blog.”

A weekly blog.

Who was in the room when that decision was made? Because I have questions.

By the time you read this, Sunday Coffee Chats will be about a month old. Which means I added a whole new weekly commitment to a life that already had a full calendar, a creative business, a mother to care for, grands to love on, and a house full of pets who believe they are not pets but department heads.

The dogs are supervising. The cats are judging. Somebody always needs food, attention, a ride, a password, a product listing, or a clean towel. And somewhere in the middle of all that, I am supposed to sit down peacefully with my coffee and write something thoughtful.

Ma’am.

Some days my to-do list does not look like a plan. It looks like evidence.

And that is what made me laugh, because the truth was standing there in plain sight. I was not doing something wrong by growing, creating, caregiving, or building. But I did have to admit that the list had gotten loud.

Not just long. Loud.

There is a difference.

A long list says, “There are things to do.”

A loud list says, “Everything is urgent, everything is your fault, and if you sit down for ten minutes, the whole operation may collapse.”

That loud list is dramatic. It needs hydration and prayer.

But if we are not careful, we start letting the loudest thing make all the decisions. We answer the notification before we answer our own body. We keep adding one more thing because it sounds good in the moment. We say yes because we can technically do it, even when our spirit is whispering, “Girl, please.”

And listen, I am not saying every new thing is a bad thing. Sunday Coffee Chats has been a blessing to me. It gives me a place to slow down, reflect, tell the truth, and connect with people in a way that feels real. This little corner of the internet matters to me.

But even good things need room.

That part right there.

Good things still need time. Good things still need energy. Good things still need space to breathe. Just because something is meaningful does not mean I can stack it on top of everything else and pretend my nervous system is a storage closet.

I think that is where many of us get caught. We are not always overwhelmed because we are doing useless things. Sometimes we are overwhelmed because we are doing good things, important things, loving things, creative things, necessary things — all at the same time.

Caregiving is good and hard.

Building a business is good and hard.

Being present for family is good and hard.

Creating something from scratch is good and hard.

Starting a blog that requires your heart every single week is good and hard.

And when all those good-and-hard things gather around the same table, somebody has to be honest about the seating chart.

This week, I had to ask myself, “Renee, what actually needs you today, and what is just making noise?”

Not what would be nice to finish.

Not what would make you feel like Superwoman.

Not what the fantasy version of you wrote down at 11:47 p.m. when she had big ideas and no respect for morning Renee.

What actually needs you today?

That question helped me calm down. It did not erase the list. It did not magically complete the product descriptions, fold the laundry, feed the pets, schedule the posts, check on Mama, answer messages, and upload the images. Wouldn’t that be lovely? I would tithe on that app immediately.

But it did help me see the difference between what mattered and what was simply loud.

Sometimes the loud thing is not the most important thing. Sometimes the loud thing is just attached to fear. Fear of falling behind. Fear of disappointing people. Fear of missing your moment. Fear that if you slow down, everything you have been building will somehow slip through your fingers.

But God has been reminding me that wisdom is not the opposite of faith. Wisdom is part of faith.

I can believe in the vision and still move with care.

I can be excited about what I am building and still admit I need a better rhythm.

I can encourage other women not to do too much and then laugh when I catch myself doing exactly too much, because growth does not always arrive with soft music and a candle. Sometimes growth taps you on the shoulder and says, “Sis, sit down somewhere.”

So this week, I am not throwing away the list. I am just taking away its microphone.

The practical takeaway is simple: choose three honest priorities for the day.

Not thirty.

Not the whole “if nobody interrupts me, the pets behave, Mama has a smooth day, the grands are good, technology acts saved, and my coffee stays hot” version of the day.

Three honest priorities for the real day you are actually living.

That might mean one business task, one family task, and one personal task. It might mean one thing that must be done, one thing that would bring peace, and one thing that helps future-you not fuss at present-you tomorrow.

Everything else can wait its turn.

And if you are in a season where the list is loud too, I hope you give yourself permission to pause before you obey it. Just because something is calling your name does not mean it gets to run your day. Some things are urgent. Some things are important. Some things are just loud and need to go sit in the corner.

So let me ask you this over coffee: where are you telling everybody else to slow down, while quietly overloading your own plate?

Until next Sunday...

From my coffee cup to yours… enjoy the rest of your coffee, carry a little grace into the week, and I'll meet you back here next Sunday.

– Renee 🤍
Sunday Coffee Chats