Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
What do you do when you don't have time to do everything?
Guess what? My blog is late. Guess why? I’m having one of those weeks…too many things due at work, my kids are home for the summer, I have three projects of my own I need to finish, trying to prepare for the RWA conference next week, etc. I have my head down, my prioritized list in hand, and I’m working through each item as it comes up.
This week has me thinking about balance, though. What are the things I’m not willing to compromise around and what are the things I’ll let slide this week (and next) until my life settles back down? I started to make a list. It looked like this:
No Compromise
- Family dinner. It’s not usually fancy, but I like to sit at the same table with my husband and kids and chat. Some nights we don’t all eat the same thing or at the same time, but I try to get us all around the table for some connection time. (Sometimes “the table” is actually “the car” if we have to get takeout. It might also be “the counter” if we slip in a trip to the diner.)
- Bedtime. My creative time starts after 9. In the summer, my kids stay up past 9. I try to be sure to spend a few minutes at least tucking them in and checking in on their days. I like the idea that the last thing we share each day is a moment of care and connection. (Of course, my kids aren't in their teens yet. I imagine my idyllic bedtime space may come to a crashing halt sometime in the next few years.)
- Showers. I don't do well with the natural look.
I was surprised by my list. I really thought there would be more things on the No Compromise list, but it turns out I am willing to let just about everything go if I have to. I’m not sure how I feel about that. It could be spun as a strength, but maybe it means I’m not really committed to anything. Hmm. If I had time to think about this, I would.
What about you? When you have no time for anything but the essentials…what are your essentials?
Jeannie--it's okay to include Dancing with the Stars. Downtime can be an essential. ;-)
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Very interesting....
This is neat... I never thought about it this way.
Mine would probably be:
Dog walking -- they depend on us for that daily exercise, and so I rarely miss. Almost never.
Breakfast. Sometimes we squeak out on lunch or dinner, skip or go out, but breakfast is the same every day. Never skip that. (It's also one of the most difficult parts of being out of town).
Writing -- Write almost every weekday, unless I plan not to.
And on a weekly basis, visit my Dad. Don't often miss that either.
Sam
Writing
I wish I had writing on my list.
I miss dog walking. It's like enforced exercise and contemplation time all rolled into one. When I lived in Seattle and was a single girl with my dog, I spent a lot of my time on walks. Seattle is a great dog city.
:-)
Hmm...
Let's see... the bare non-negotiables are pretty similar to yours:
- family dinner
- bedtime
- reading time (for me--I'd like for the kids to read, too, but it may vary from week to week)
I do let lots go depending on the week... showers are prefered, but we can let that slide a day or two if it hasn't been too hot as long as their teeth are properly brushed ;) Man, please don't come to visit--clearly we're a bunch of scrungy, unshaven, messy-homed folk...
Reading
Yep. I can't skip reading. That's one on my list, too.
It's funny about the unshaven, messy-homed part. I was thinking about the list of things I imagine my mom would have made as her non-negotiables. I think cleaning the house might have been on it. Or at least cleaning the downstairs.
I am able to live with mess even though I prefer not to. I just don't let people come over until it's cleaned up. ;-)
The three things that I MUST do...
1. Read in bed. Doesn't matter how tired I am, I still have to pick up whatever book I'm into and do a few pages before I close my eyes. I just don't feel right going to bed without it.
2. Check my e-mail twenty times a day. This is not good, and yet, if a day goes by and I'm off-line, I feel lost. I'm going to try to get that twenty revised down to, er...nineteen.
3. Clean the kitchen. I can't stand waking up to a dirty kitchen. Counters washed down, all dishes in dishwasher, floor swept. Of course, I get up in the morning and the cat is shedding all over my clean counters and my dh has left beer bottles in the sink....
Wow. I don't really like my list. What does this say about me?
Clean the kitchen
Diana,
I don't mind 1-2 on your list, but clean the kitchen? Really? I didn't know.
I actually try to do that also, but my husband doesn't cooperate either. He likes to make a big messy pile in the sink and then deal with it late at night. I *hate* things piled in the sink.
Floor swept...I'm still pondering how anyone could have that as a non-compromise item. I'm in awe. ;-)
Diana, My hubby is with you
Diana,
My hubby is with you on the kitchen! While I could leave the dishes on the counter overnight, he can't stand it!
Love it
I love how there's one in each house.
;-)
can't do without
Light stretches in the morning. or yoga if it's the weekend.
Chocolate milk - if I don't have it my whole day is screwed!
Browsing the internet.
Chocolate milk!
Oh, MarcieR, you are a good woman. I'm losing the sweeping and putting in chocolate milk. In fact, I think I need some right now.
Oreos
I'm wondering where Oreos fall on your list, Marcie?
P.S. Thanks for convincing Diana to give up the sweeping. It was creeping me out that I'm friends with someone so neat. ;-)
heres my list!
Okay well my list is this
1. breakfast and morning cartoons with my little man ( 5 yrs old, so no talk shows for mommy. I know more about spongebob than any show out there!)
2. COFFEE!!!! No coffee, i don't function well, at least two cups in the morning.
2.A-when my little man is in school that morning Java is most always with mom!!
3. Dinner with my husband and son.
4. A bedtime story for Littleman, he loves his storytime! (i'm hoping the love of books stays with him)
Wow, a claen kitchen or floor is nowhere on my list. What does that say about me??
cool post
jody
Spongebob
Jody--I used to know the names and affiliations (steam or diesel) of all the engines on the Isle of Sodor. I kept wondering how to extract that information and fill my brain with something useful, but it never really worked. Good luck with Spongebob.
I hope your son holds onto his love of books, too. My guys are great book lovers and it's a fun thing to share.
Thanks for offering your list. ;-)
Hmmm.
My list seems to grow as I see everyone else's... LOL
But we clean our kitchen every night, too. I like everything ready for breakfast in the morning.
Also, eating together, spending time together -- we do that every day, sometimes for all three meals, sometimes for just breakfast and dinner, but it's important even though we work home, we don't necessarily see each other all day, working in our separate spaces and caught up in our own stuff...
Sam
wahou... never thaught of that
THat's pretty scary but I just realised that I compromise on EVERYTHING (even showers which last an average of 2 minutes when I prefer 15 min ones !!!).
No really, the one think I almost never compromise with is my 2 y.o. nap in the afternoon. Matteo sleeps from 1.30 to 4 every afternoon and it is the most glorious 2 hours and a half of the day !!!lol
Oh My!
How could I forget my Oreos? I am still eating them as my morning snack at work. I gave them up for about a week, but now we are together again. I even bought another pack yesterday.