As a work-from-home mother of two pre-teen/teen daughters, I am constantly
looking for ways to save time. Also for ways to convince
all the adolescent boys within my daughters’ social circles my daughters' are not to be trifled with,
but this article will focus just on the time management thing.
One
of my favorite time management tips is...
Do
One Thing Today to Make Tomorrow Easier
Which
seems a little counterintuitive, I’ll admit. As in “why would I do something
for tomorrow when I still have 11 things I have to do TODAY?” At least that’s
what I thought when I decided to give this a try.
I
discovered that in the midst of feeling frazzled trying to meet work deadlines, throwing something into the slow cooker for
dinner, filling out permission slips and mediating tooth-gnashing battles over
raw hide bones (between the dogs, not the children) … doing just one thing for tomorrow, no matter
how seemingly insignificant, gave me a sliver of control.
You
know, it's that same feeling of having prepared well in advance for an exam, thus
giving you a sense of superiority over those who were cramming through the
night and arrived bleary-eyed and muddled on exam day. (Incidentally, I was
almost always the crammer. If I bothered to study at all, but do NOT blow my cover with my children, who assume I was as on top of my studies as I require them to be.)
So
some days I just jot down my to-do list for the next day, or set out tomorrow's outfit,
or make a phone call I could put off but choose to knock out today.
Sometimes I just scoot the throw pillows out of the way right before I go to
bed so I don’t tear off my toe when I trip over them first thing in the
morning.
You’re
welcome, me. I just saved your toe.
This
brings me around to tomorrow. Election Day 2012. I’m trying to think of ways to
make the brutal lines a little more fun. I
am thinking of bringing a lawn chair, a cheese tray, and loading a bunch of
funny videos to watch while I wait in line for the privilege to vote.
My
only question: Is it wrong to drink at a fire station (my polling site) at 10
a.m. (is this the right time or the wrong time to go?) Will I be mobbed, my
chair and treats stolen while some kid watches Will Ferrell on technology stolen
from me?
My
parting words of advice: do one tiny thing to make tomorrow better, and
remember every vote does, in fact, count (hello, 2000!)
What's one thing you can do to
make tomorrow easier? What suggestions do you have for me to pass the time in Election Day lines?
