Much of my life feels like a juggling act as of late. I’ve learned that the juggling must be coordinated and scheduled. If not, all the balls go up and all the balls come down…at different times.
I get up try to get up every morning at 5:15. I get myself ready, I get my baby ready, and I nurse my baby. My husband puts all our things in the car – diaper bag, purse, pump bag, laptop bag, and OJ – while I finish up with the little guy. Off he goes to work so he can put in time before the work day starts. I put Maximus into his snow suit and get him buckled in. I grab whatever last-minute items I need – jewelry, breakfast-to-go, socks, and shoes so I don’t wear my boots all day – and send Wrigley to his kennel. I’ve found that in order to juggle, I have to say things out loud. This morning I needed to get a bib for Maximus. He was ready to go and Wrigley was headed to his kennel. I found myself back in the kitchen and at the last second remembered I wanted a necklace and a bib. As I walked through the house from my bathroom to the nursery, I repeated, “Necklace..bib…bib…necklace.” The outcome? I left the house with a necklace on and a bib in my coat pocket! It went into my pocket because the diaper bag was already in the car. So, I did one task only to create another thing to remember! I needed to make sure I took it out of my coat pocket and put it in the diaper bag. I have no idea why, but I remembered it when I was unbuckling Maximus at daycare. All-in-all, a successful morning. I’ve been meaning to get a bib into that diaper bag all week, so as you can see by the calendar…I dropped the ball three other days. 🙂 Update: I forgot some parts to my pump. That’s what happens when you’re transferring milk to the freezer and getting your bag ready to put in the car. I put the parts on the drying rack instead of into my bag! Opps!
Once I get to work there are many things that pull me in opposite directions. I have responsibilities as a manager, but I also have responsibilities as an individual. I have projects that need to be completed and deadlines that need to be met. I also have to make sure I know what’s going on with my team and the status of their projects. It’s a lot to have flying around in one’s head. Add to that the personal time I need throughout the day to pump. Then there’s the things you can only handle during the day – signing up for coed volleyball, ordering pictures, approving your Christmas card, or finding a Maximus sitter – that aren’t work related. Before I know it, it’s noon and I’m pulled in two directions, I’m starving but I might be able to get something done over the lunch hour. Lunch almost always wins. If there’s one thing I’m certain about, other than death and taxes, it’s that I have to eat meals. I can’t work through lunch. I can’t skip a meal. I can’t do this because I personally can’t function but also because my body needs the calories to produce milk, so my baby can eat.
I leave the office most days feeling like I didn’t accomplish much because for every project I complete, two more replace it. It’s a never-ending cycle in my world. I’m thankful for the job and the projects and the people. I enjoy what I do and can’t imagine my life being any different. But, sometimes I miss the emotional high of completing a project. I miss the victorious feeling. The satisfactory moment of peace. Lately, there isn’t time to bask in the accomplishment because I’ve got to get going on the next item. Speaking of which, I need to write my Christmas letter…..
Next up: How I Get Anything Done at Home
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