The Lie of Catching Up (Why You’re Not Actually Behind)

I feel like I’m failing, I’m feeling behind in life. Not work, not writing, not crafting, EVERYTHING. I keep telling myself I’ll catch up this weekend.

Catch up on grading.
Catch up on writing.
Catch up on the version of me who seems to have it all together.

It’s always the same promise. Just get through the week. Just survive the chaos. Then the weekend will fix it.

But lately, I’ve been starting to question that.

Because the weekend comes… and nothing is actually fixed.

The list is still there.
The pressure is still there.
That quiet feeling that I’m somehow falling behind is still there.

And I’m starting to realize something uncomfortable.

I don’t think there’s anything to catch up to.

Feeling Behind in Life Is Exhausting

If you’ve been feeling behind in life, you’re not alone. That feeling doesn’t just show up once in a while. It lingers. It follows you through your day, sitting quietly in the background while you try to focus on everything else.

It’s in the stack of papers waiting on your desk. It’s in the half-finished ideas sitting in your notebook. It’s in the mental checklist that somehow grows faster than you can cross things off.

This past week, I’ve been covering classes, losing prep time, and watching my to-do list multiply like it has a personal vendetta against me. Every time I think I’ve made progress, something else gets added.

By the time I get home, I’m not catching up on anything. I’m just trying to stay awake long enough to feel like I didn’t completely disappear into the day.

And still, the thought is always there.

I’ll catch up soon.

The Lie of Catching Up

Here’s the problem with that idea. Catching up assumes there’s a finish line.

It assumes that one day, everything will be done. The grading will be caught up. The plans will be perfect. The writing will be finished. You’ll finally feel on top of things.

But that day doesn’t exist.

There will always be more to do. More responsibilities. More ideas. More things asking for your time, your attention, and your energy.

And the second you do catch up on one thing, something else steps in to take its place.

So if there’s no finish line, what exactly are we trying to catch up to?

You’re Not Behind, You’re in the Middle

What if the problem isn’t that you’re behind?

What if the problem is that you’re measuring your life against an imaginary version of “caught up” that no one actually reaches?

You’re not behind. You’re in the middle of a full, complicated, demanding life.

You’re teaching, writing, showing up, thinking, caring, trying. You’re managing responsibilities that don’t pause just because you’re tired. You’re carrying things no one else fully sees.

Of course it feels like a lot.

It is a lot.

And being in the middle of it doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re living.

A Different Way to Think About Progress

Instead of asking, “How do I catch up?” maybe the better question is:

“What actually matters today?”

Not everything. Not the entire list. Just one or two things that will move your life forward or make your day feel a little more manageable.

Because progress doesn’t have to be dramatic to be real.

Sometimes it looks like grading five papers instead of twenty. Writing a paragraph instead of a chapter. Choosing to rest instead of forcing yourself to push through exhaustion.

Sometimes it looks like saying, “This is enough for today.”

And actually meaning it.

The idea that we always need to be “caught up” is part of a bigger productivity culture that often pushes us beyond what’s sustainable. Research and conversations around burnout continue to highlight just how common this feeling is. If you’re curious, this overview on burnout from the American Psychological Association offers a helpful perspective.

 

Maybe You Were Never Behind

So maybe this weekend isn’t about catching up.

Maybe it’s about choosing one small thing that matters… and letting the rest wait.

Not because those other things aren’t important.

But because you are.

Because your energy matters. Your mental space matters. Your ability to keep showing up tomorrow matters.

And constantly chasing “caught up” is one of the fastest ways to burn all of that out.

So maybe the goal isn’t to catch up at all.

Maybe the goal is to move through your life at a pace that’s actually sustainable.

To do what you can, when you can, with what you have.

And to trust that it counts.

If this idea of redefining progress resonates with you, you might also like my post on quiet confidence and what it really looks like to keep showing up when things feel hard.

You’re not falling behind in life.

You were never behind.

You’re just human, living a full life in the middle of it.