Keeping it in Perspective

Not long after my last post, I was offered a job opportunity I'd really, really been hoping to get. I was thrilled! I even did the little football end-zone happy dance in my office - the dog just cocked his head and looked at me like I was possessed. I dove right in and began work immediately, taking a megaladon-sized bite out of my new workload with enthusiasm and gratitude.

Eight hours later, the house was a wreck, the kids were hungry, and my husband was looking at me pretty much the way the dog had as I jabbed my hair sticks back into my dishevelled bun for the hundredth time. My Monday, my precious Monday, was shot. I'd gotten nothing done and had managed to create a new mountain of obligations on top of the old mess. I was stressed to the max, and all I could think was, "What have I done?".

So yesterday became my Monday. As a WAHM, I'm lucky to have that flexibility. And thank goodness I do, because when I did, finally, get my schedule together, it wasn't pretty. In fact, it was downright ugly. What I hadn't realized initially was that I had committed to at least 20 hours a week of work for this new job. Because the hours were completely self-imposed, I never scheduled them or took that workload into consideration. So there I was, horrified by a wonderful opportunity - what a miserable place to be! On Tuesday, I had to resort to some hard-core planning. Now, I'm a Franklin Covey girl from way back, and I love my FC planner, but this required even more planning. No, for those days or weeks when I can't get out of my own way, I take my planning to a whole new Type A level. First, I print off a hard copy of the week in half-hour increments using Outlook on my computer. It sounds complicated, but it's basically just a disposable weekly calendar. In this case, I did the next two weeks because they're going to be insane. Then I write all the hard and fast, concrete appointments on the calendar. Don't get too geeked out on me and run away here, but I have to confess that I color code all of my notes - work is orange, working out is lavender, my husband's items are navy blue, etc... I happen to be a visual learner with a photographic memory, so using colors really helps me. Obviously you don't need to take it that far. After I get all my color-coded appointments on the calendar, I go back and fill in all my tasks when and where they fit. That way I know there's a time scheduled to complete everything I need to do. Whew! This week's calendar looked like a flippin' carnival by the time I was done. It was so busy (and colorful) that my husband silently placed a glass of wine next to me after he saw it.

Did it help? Was it worth it? After all, I took a whole other day out of my week to replace the Monday I messed up, and the planning took about an hour to straighten out. It was absolutely worth it. In fact, I couldn't be here, writing for you this morning if I hadn't done it. Worse, I would have had another sleepless night and be reaching for the Alka-Seltzer by now. Not only do I now have all my responsibilities and obligations organized, but my family can see clearly what I'm up against in the next few weeks. Finally, the greatest reward for me was gaining a clear perspective. After crunching the numbers and seeing the schedule, I realized I can't find 20 hours a week to work right now. I realized that I was pushing myself much too hard, and that I could choose to work less (or at least start out more gradually) and spend more time with my kids. In two weeks, school will be out for the summer, two large commitments I have to work on now will have wrapped up, and we'll be cooking out with good friends on a sunny summer evening. Will the next two weeks still be busy? You bet, but now I can make it through with clear objectives and the finish line in my sights.