The Juggle is Real: Taxes, Meal Prep, and the ADHD Debate
Happy Monday you guys. Time has basically become a soup lately, hasn't it? I’m sitting here staring at a to-do list that looks more like a cry for help than a productive plan for the day.
I’ve been having this recurring internal monologue that I think a lot of us business owners (and, let’s be real, just humans in 2026) are having. It usually starts around 2PM when I’m staring at a spreadsheet and ends around 11PM when I’m scrolling TikTok. The question is: Do I actually have ADHD, or am I just... unmotivated? Or, and hear me out, is the juggle just actually this hard?
I’ve spent a lot of time lately talking about gathering clay. You know, that phase where life feels like a big, messy, wet lump of nothingness that you’re supposed to eventually turn into a beautiful vase. Right now, I feel like I’m just covered in mud, and the pottery wheel is spinning at Mach 5. We’re in the rough draft phase of the season, and boyyy is it rough.
The Tax Man Cometh (And I Want to Hide)
Let’s talk about the biggest, scariest monster under the bed right now: Taxes.
Is there anything better that drains the millennial battery faster than opening a tax portal? I don’t think so. As a business owner at Graze my life is usually full of beautiful colors, vibrant berries, rich cheeses, the perfect sprig of rosemary.
Taxes are... grey. They are cold, hard numbers that remind me that even though I’m the boss, Uncle Sam is the landlord of my hard work.
I spent four hours yesterday looking at receipts that I swore I organized in January. (GUESS WHAT: I did not organize them in January. I put them in a decorative box and told myself that future Abby would handle it. Well, it’s the future, and Abby is annoyed.) This is where the ADHD debate kicks in. I’ll start entering a business expense for some something and then suddenly I’m researching the history of the IRS, and then I’m wondering if I should buy a new label maker, and then, oops, it’s been forty-five minutes and I’ve entered exactly zero numbers.
Am I unmotivated? No. I love my business. But the mental friction of doing something that doesn't involve creativity is like trying to start a fire with two wet sticks. If you’re currently staring at your own tax nightmare, just know I’m right there in the trenches with you. We will get it done. Eventually. Ideally by Friday. I have A LOT of stuff going on this week so let’s hope I actually check off my check list.
The Meal Prep Menu: When Your Job Becomes Your Homework
You would think that as someone who runs a catering and meal prepping business, my own life would be a breeze. You would be wrong. So wrong.
Last week was a whirlwind. Between that date night we finally squeezed in (Prime 41 was amazing btw) usual mom life and the physical grind of a massive meal prep weekend, I’m exhausted. And yet, the meal prep menu for the next round is staring at me.
And thennn (because the universe loves a plot twist) I had the absolute nightmare of messing up allergen orders. Like not a cute little oops I forgot napkins situation—an oh my god, we have to remake everything situation. Everything. Remade. Because of one mistake. And can I just say… WHY IS THERE SOY IN EVERYTHING??? I’m reading labels like I’m studying for the bar exam and soy is just… hiding in places it has no business being. Sneaky little gremlin ingredient.
So yeah, I’m tired, I’m salty, I’m re-washing pans I swear I JUST washed, and yet the meal prep menu is staring at me like a horror movie villain. Just sitting there. Looming.
Writing a menu is the ultimate rough draft experience. I have all these ideas, manifesting magic with new flavors, maybe if I’m feeling fancy, but actually sitting down to commit to the plan? It’s a struggle. When your "work" is also your "life," the lines get so blurry. I’m trying to decide what you guys want to eat for lunch next Tuesday while I haven't even decided what I’m having for dinner tonight. Spoiler alert. I DoorDashed a cookie skillet with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. Don’t judge me right now.
I’m just really tired and want someone else to make me a sandwich. This is the part of the juggle people don't see on Instagram. They see the finished platterboxes but they don't see the woman in her pajamas at 1:00 AM wondering if people are over kale.
The Friendship Tax: "I'll Text You Back in 3-5 Business Days"
This is the hardest part of the juggle for me lately. The guilt.
I love my friends. They are the absolute best humans. But when you’re in the chaos season your social battery doesn't just run low, it leaks acid. I have texts sitting in my inbox from three days ago that I’ve replied to in my head, but my thumbs never actually did the work.
Does that make me a bad friend? Or am I just overstimulated? I’m going with overstimulated. Between momming, wifing and busniessing, my brain feels like a browser with 34 tabs open, and three of them are playing music but I can't find which ones.
Why We’re Outsourcing the Chaos
The reason I’m sharing all this, the tax stress, the menu-writing block, the friendship guilt, is because I know I’m not alone. We’re all out here trying to manifest our best lives while tripping over the laundry basket.
If you’re feeling the same way, if you’re staring at a week full of meetings, kid's activities, and the "what's for dinner?" dread, please, let me help you. Part of surviving the juggle is knowing when to hand off a ball to someone else. That’s what we do at Graze.
Final Thoughts: It’s Okay to be a Mess
So, do I have ADHD? Maybe. Am I unmotivated? Definitely not: you can't build a business like Graze from nothing if you're lazy. I think the truth is just that life is heavy right now. We’re all trying to be the main character in a story that has way too many subplots.
It’s okay if your rough draft is messy. It’s okay if you’re still gathering your clay. We’re going to get through this Aries season energy (even if it’s a little less intense than last week), and we’re going to find our rhythm.
So I bid thee farewell as I have a date with a calculator. If I don't post for two days, send help... or more cheese.
Stay chaotic, stay real, and remember: you're doing better than you think you are.
XX,
Abby
*P.S. If you're looking for a sign to stop scrolling like I do on TikTok for an obscene amount of time, go drink some water... this is it. Go get hydrated, babe.*
Song of the day: “The Line” by Twenty One Pilots* — because it’s literally the soundtrack to “wow this week is HEAVY” but also “ok wait… I can still find a beat in this??”
You got this.
We got this.
