Great frustration can occur when someone has filled up the calendar with a number of “non-negotiable commitments.” During the years when I was raising children, I learned after a while to not make any commitments beyond those that I committed to in my marriage, as a mother, as a worker, as a member of two extended families, as a friend. Those who are rigidly “committed” to activities – whether cultural or exercise class or optional educational or whatever, often fail to make time to simply “be there” for others, whose needs seldom conform to a calendar and arise without any warning. For most people, it may be that some time for prayer (whether weekly services or meditation or whatever) and maybe one other activity a week should be the limit of the “non-negotiables.” Overloading on non-negotiables can lead to a tremendous sense of failure when it turns out to be un-doable. You feel like you’ve failed yourself, and you feel like you’ve failed others. You may also feel like you’ve wasted family resources on courses, or subscriptions, or gym memberships that you were unable to use.

Those who require the help of a mobile digital device to keep track of their commitments may want to re-examine whether or not they have over-committed.

In addition, or in conjunction with those daily petitions, would be to find some structured form of prayer that works for you (rosary, one or more of the liturgy of the hours, etc.) and commit to doing it every day. One of the strengths of doing daily formal prayer is that it is always there. Some days you are together spiritually and you use the structures to carry your prayer to God. Other times when you are not so together the structures carry you along.