Does anyone ever genuinely have nothing to do?

[MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry]

I feel like I have a huge backlog of things that need to be done. I’ve had up and down mental health issues for years and during the down stages things slide and I barely manage to exist. During the up stages I try and catch up but it’s never ending. I feel like I’m trying to dig through a mountain with a teaspoon. When I do sit down to watch tv or go on MN or whatever I’m constantly thinking about all the stuff I need to do. I don’t relax. I keep feeling like I will feel good again when I get things back to zero. When I had my first baby things were at zero. I was working, maintaining my home very well, I could genuinely relax in the evenings as there wasn’t anything more to do. I haven’t felt like that in a long long time. Is it hopeless to think I can get back there?

No, I don't think there is a time in my life I would EVER get to when I thought "everything was done" because, when I get more time, I fill it with far more enjoyable things than cleaning behind the fridge or other jobs I've read about on MN that have never been done in my house.
The more time you have, the more important the next thing becomes..
What you need to do is learn to accept it is okay to sit and relax when everything isn't complete.

I think it depends how much you care about certain things or what importance you place on them.There is probably always stuff I could be doing, but I have a slight lazy streak, so quite happy to sit and watch tv or go on the internet and accept that some things won’t be done. This particularly applies to cleaning for me. I refuse to do more than washing up and tidying the kitchen in the evening. If I planned on cleaning something in the day but didn’t get round to it then it will wait til another day.

I use a loose version of The Organised Mum. I spend 1 to 1.5 hours deep cleaning something every week. I do this Sat and Sun. I include the car, presses etc in this. I try and do a room a week. At least then I feel I have touched everything over 7 or 8 weeks. The idea is to do a little every week so you don't get burned out. I hoover and do floors every week. Before I do this I go to every room and ensure everything is in the right place, rubbish out etc. I wash every day or two. I rarely iron.

Decluttering is ongoing. I pay attention to what comes into the house. I try not to buy knick nacks, handbags etc.

I work 90% fulltime and have 2 tweens. I felt I had a bit more time from when the youngest was 8 and were not folliwing me around the house. I spent half an hour decluttering every eve, Mon to Fri for 3 months when the youngest turned 8. This got rid of a lot of toys etc. Ongoing, I declutter toys, dcs books before Christmas and in June. The same with our clothes.

I would recommend you do half sn hour to an hour every eve, Mon to Thurs decluttering. A weekend is very overwhelming. As you say, you must still keep up with the basics. You also need some downtime at the weekend when working. Also it is easier to recycle/rubbish collection when doing a small bit every day. Doing all in one go would mean you need a skip.

I put siiting down each eve for an hour as a task. It is needed for mental health. Accept there will be always something to do, unless you are retired and live alone. The Organised Mum method gives me peace of mind as I know I will clean everything on an 8 or 9 week basis.

Actually come to think of it I have a daily tick list in my phone that includes my distraction / hobby.
I'm far more likely to do that than a 15 minute declutter.😂
Though I am feeling like it's time to tidy through stuff for the new year I haven't actually done my "daily declutter" for about two months. Life is always a work in progress.

In answer to your original question, yes I often have nothing at all that needs doing. I cleared my clutter years ago and regularly have clear outs to keep on top of things. The more stuff you have the harder it is to organise, clean, store them and all of this takes time and mental effort. Less stuff = easier life. I also have no kids which does help a lot too obviously. I did a quick clean and tidy Christmas Eve and bar sweeping the floor this morning and a bit of cooking I have had 4 days off work where I haven’t needed to do anything

Thanks everyone for the tips. Lots to work with here. I think the take away from this is that, no there is never nothing to do, but for some they have managed to be ok with that.