One of the benefits, though perhaps perils, of planning is that you can see upcoming crunches. This means you can work to make them better. But of course you also wind up thinking about them a lot. I guess that’s generally better. It’s the difference between being in a raft going through a dark tunnel vs. having a flashlight and seeing how scary close that top of the tunnel wall is.
I’ve been feeling that way lately. Due to various trips I am winding up with three actual work days in two weeks, and one of those involved multiple speeches (so not really sitting at my desk). And the family packing had to happen in there too. Some things that have to happen right after a trip — like a kid going off to camp — required planning too. A quick turnaround!
The downside is, of course, that I have spent a lot of time pondering logistics when time will pass one way or another anyway. The upside is that my camp-bound kid will have the right length pants for his scout uniform, and rain pants and hiking boots that fit. I also decided to push forward a few things that I want to have happen, but do not need to happen urgently, to the beginning of July. That way I will be better prepared!
Not much else to report — I am about to re-record a podcast ad. Fun times…
This week I’m struggling with compartmentalizing chaos. Our kids are in the final stretch of school (last day is 30 June), so there are all sorts of assemblies and special field days that require clothes/sunscreen/towels/specific gear. Summer soccer season has started. There are various dental appointments. There is work. Birthday parties for the kids to attend. My husband is travelling. We currently have company. We have a major landscaping project that is taking a lot longer (so, thus, will cost more – *sigh*) than anticipated. We have some inside house repair work happening. There is cooking and cleaning and making sure the kids get showered. With so many different sources of stress/logistics, I feel like I’m floundering. Any given area of life seems manageable, but combined I feel…paralyzed.
That said, I have a master plan for the summer and all the camps are organized and paid for, so hopefully all this planning will pay dividends. And, the home repair stuff WILL get done – even if it does cost a small fortune and takes twice as long as predicted – and hopefully by mid-July the dust will settle? Just in time for more company to arrive!
@Elisabeth – yep, the end of the school year is always chaotic – we had that a week ago but the trips are packed in thick right here at the beginning. But while it does seem like one could fall into the trap of saying “next week things will be more calm…” I do know that I have a lot less stuff in July. Some stuff, but not as much as June. So if I’m careful not to pile in more things, it should be OK… Hope the landscaping turns out well!
I am feeling this today! My kids finish school today and 3/4 of my kids leave for sleepaway camp Sunday. We have a trip planned for July 4th weekend and visiting weekend at camp two weeks after that. On top of that I may need to take a cross country trip for a funeral during that time. The nature of funerals of course is that they are last minute and cannot really be planned for, but that hasn’t stopped my brain from spinning out myriad possible scenarios and the possible complications and solutions for each. Not a good use of time given that you cannot know some variables in advance.
@Gillian – yep, crunch time. And the uncertainty of things like funerals definitely complicates matters. Of course we can’t necessarily plan for those (even if we know they are likely coming) – but when our lives are so complicated with so many moving parts, anything creates more chaos. Hope everything goes well (at least emotionally) for that one.
Gillian – My Grandpa was on hospice for almost the entire last year of his life and it added an additional layer of “planning” (you couldn’t do anything except think about it!) with each of his ups and downs. Ironically, in the end, my Grandma decided not to have a service or invite family and no plans were needed. All that “planning” for nothing! I hope everything works out for the best for you and your family.
On the up side, you (I think) have bought yourself some nice much less hectic time on the future/while on vac because you DID plan/work hard to get ahead! Uncertainty is always worse for me. (Hence why I always like to have our next recording dates defined – then I can stop thinking about it, ha!).
@SHU- let’s hope! I am prepped ahead through late July on many things, more or less. But then August will feature a lot of time away too, so I’ll need to get ahead of that. Not sure the cycle truly stops…
I’ve been feeling this way too lately. Overwhelmed by so many booked weekends over the summer. When friends want to hang out and ask for dates, this week, I had to offer late August dates…HOW! I’m not upset with anything we have planned, just the thought of being booked out is kind of overwhelming me. Glad to hear I’m not the only one feeling like I’m trying to think backwards from various dates to ensure I am prepared!