The Myth of Catching Up

I spend so much time thinking about the things I don’t want to do that I could’ve just done them twice by now. The emails I don’t want to answer. The people I don’t want to schedule. The workout I know I should do. The random little tasks that live rent-free in my head because I keep promising myself I’ll “catch up.”

Catching up sounds innocent—productive, even—but really it’s this quiet, never-ending chase. The idea that one day, the laundry will be folded, the inbox will be cleared, the workouts will be consistent, and I’ll finally get to exhale. I’ve been chasing that version of “caught up” for years, and she’s still nowhere to be found.

Right now, catching up looks like surviving championship season, preparing for a few big speaking engagements, trying to keep up with my kids’ homework, and finding the energy to care about dinner. But here’s the truth: the list never ends. Life doesn’t pause so you can feel accomplished.

When I read Atomic Habits, it changed the way I thought about all of this. James Clear talks about goals versus systems—how real change doesn’t come from reaching an endpoint but from building the habits that keep you moving. “Caught up” isn’t a destination; it’s just an illusion that keeps us sprinting in circles.

So I’ve been trying to be okay in the middle. The parts that don’t have a clear beginning or end. The parts where it feels like nothing’s moving, but actually, everything is. Maybe the middle isn’t a waiting room; maybe it’s the work itself.

I’m learning to give myself credit for the quiet consistency—for working out at home instead of forcing myself into the gym, for choosing progress over perfection. I haven’t quite figured out what the win looks like yet, but maybe it’s simply not quitting.

Catching up might never happen, and maybe that’s okay. There will always be laundry and counter tops to clean. Because life doesn’t come with a finish line; it just keeps expanding. The real growth happens in the middle, where we keep showing up—even when the dishes aren’t done, the inbox is overflowing, and the to-do list is laughing at us.

So maybe we stop chasing “caught up” and start trusting the rhythm of enough.

So, GRL…

Being in the middle doesn’t mean you’re behind. It means you’re still moving. You don’t need to catch up—you just need to show up.