Why My Life Doesn’t Look Like My Websites - And that’s okay.
I wrote this for my bookkeeping site, BookkeepingbyChrissy, but thought it should be equally represented on this site.
If you judged my life solely by my websites, you’d think I have everything perfectly together. After all, I help businesses and individuals organize their finances, manage their lifestyles, and bring structure to their chaos on my bookkeeping site. On Ode to a List, I write lists to help people gain control and organization. My websites are clean, my purposes are neatly outlined, and my branding reflects a sense of calm and control.
But the truth: real life is messy. And mine is no exception.
I love what I do, and I’m good at it—but that doesn’t mean my world always reflects the polished professionalism of my online presence. My bookkeeping is meticulous, and lists help me stay organized, but my kitchen sink? Not always. I can balance financial statements down to the penny, yet I sometimes forget to move the laundry from the washer to the dryer, and I always have a pile of junk waiting on the steps for someone to carry upstairs. I am incredibly responsive to client emails, but there are thank you notes and sympathy cards I wrote over and over in my head but never sent. Major fail.
The Illusion of Perfection
The internet has a funny way of distorting reality. Social media, business websites, and curated content often present an airbrushed version of life. You see the highlights, the perfectly framed moments, the success stories—but not the behind-the-scenes reality.
I built my websites to reflect the value I bring to my clients and my love for lists (hee hee, so maybe that one shows my mental imperfection). But it’s just that—a reflection. It's a well-lit snapshot, not the whole picture.
What you don’t see is the juggling act behind it all. The early mornings when I’m trying to squeeze in a moment of quiet before the day's chaos begins. The mid-morning when my work is interrupted by phone calls, school emails, or a mental note that I need to write out the food shopping list, now. The afternoons when I should be deep in bookkeeping tasks, but instead, I’m wrestling with distractions, fatigue, or the sheer unpredictability of life (“you see me scrolling”).
The Messy Middle:
When Life Doesn’t Follow the Plan
I live by lists. To-do, grocery, budgeting, and planning lists—everything you see on Ode to a List. And yet, there are days when those lists feel more like wishful thinking than actual accomplishments. Probably most days.
Life doesn’t fit into neat little boxes (not on the hillside, not made of ticky tacky).
There are times when I have to prioritize a client’s urgent bookkeeping needs over tackling my own business finances (like the barefooted kids of the shoemaker). There are moments when I pour so much energy into helping others I forget myself. And there are days when I hit my evening "mom shift" completely drained, knowing I still have dinner to make and attention to give.
And yet—I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Balance Isn’t a Destination
I often think I can achieve balance if I plan better. If I tweak my schedule, optimize my workflow, or try a little harder. If I do, everything will fall into place. I even wrote a blog about it.
But balance isn’t a perfectly aligned spreadsheet—it’s an ever-shifting equation. Some days, work gets more of my attention. Some days, my daughter does. Some days, I get a rare moment for myself. And some days, everything feels like it’s unraveling at once.
And that’s okay.
Because the truth is, the messiness of life means I’m living. It means I’m showing up, doing my best, and embracing the reality that perfection isn’t the goal—presence is.
Why I’m Sharing This
I wanted to write this not just for myself but for anyone who has ever looked at someone else’s business, social media, or seemingly perfect life and felt like they were falling short.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re the only one struggling to keep up, let me assure you: you are not.
Behind every polished website, every well-crafted post, and every seemingly effortless success story, there’s a human being doing their best—just like you.
So, if your life doesn’t look as put-together as the world expects, welcome to the club, you’re in good company. (Let’s get together and go bowling.)
I write not because I have everything figured out but because I understand what it’s like to juggle it all, and I hope my posts can help.
And sometimes, an honest share makes all the difference.
