Getting Organized

About every one or two years, I feel the need to make sure my life is productive and perfect and so I create a schedule of how I will occupy my time for peak efficiency. I expect this will work just as well as it did in high-school, as evidenced by my NOT becoming a late-blooming musical prodigy. However, I'm not going to let past failures stop me, so here is my plan for living an average day, post-tax season, pre kids-off-for-summer. I have 1 1/2 months to adhere to this disciplined way of life.

6:15 am: Wake/Eat/Grooming/Family

7 am: Ok for real now Wake Eat Drink Tea and Water Shower Get Dressed speak to family Clean Kitchen or Check Garden if you’ll be at work later.

8 am: Everyone has LEFT the building. This would be a super time to write, if I can keep my little eyeballs open. Be Dressed by now, even if not going to work. Walk the dog and be “unplugged” and focused on writing, planning, and organizing until at least 9:30 am.

9:30 am: Leave for work if necessary. If not, do some physical household chores, GET UP stop sitting, and take care of some shit for at least ½ hour.

10 am: If not at work, then get back to “homework” Tax Study M/Writing T,Th,F/or Job Search W

11 am: Was ONE HOUR enough for that stuff? Let’s hope it was, and check your TO DO list, do errands, phone calls, emails, groceries, or just clean up a little more shit.

12 pm: Are you still working or running errands? Good, if not, go ahead and take a lunch break for a half hour.

1 pm: Okay, if you needed a nap, you should have taken one by now. If you didn’t, you should be back to business now. This would be an excellent time to do some gardening or organizing if you are home. Maybe some inspiration will come to you.

2 pm: You should write right now. For like ONE hour. If you were at work, and you’re just getting home, you get to rest, but otherwise, you need to write. Figure out who else is writing at 2-3 pm EST and connect with them. If you were at work and just getting home, try not to devour entire package of the first food you encounter. Eat an apple! Eat some celery! Drink Water! Start cooking dinner and eat the ingredients!

3 pm: Kids are home from school. Time to tour the facility and pick up slack, and I guess, make some fucking dinner. Put some music on to make things suck less.

4 pm: Just fuggedaboudit and try to get something useful accomplished, most likely in the kitchen. You probably have to pick up someone or something from somewhere, so try to remember what it was.

5 pm: We’re cooking, we’re eating, we’re yelling at each other, and throwing mail from off the table onto the dump desk where it will get lost. Maybe some laundry.

6 pm: Running kids to places, but if not, probably ought to get the house in order. Dishes or some shit.

7 pm: Holy crap, this day isn’t done yet? If I don’t have to be somewhere (ha!) I’m probably just trying to catch up with stuff that wasn’t done. Check out that to-do list, or go out and garden, or go for a walk, or call someone (and yes, do it NOW, because next time you think of it, it will be 11 pm.)

8 pm: Really, you deserve a break, or a cocktail or something by now. But if it’s too early to hunker down with your favorite show, then why don’t you tell the kids to take a shower and get their homework done while you do a little writing. Try to stay off twitter/FB right now, because you know you’ll just end up wasting an hour, what with the burnout and all. Try and say goodnight to the kiddos, and show some love, because next time you think of it, they’ll already be asleep. Or worse, they’ll be up on their electronics, and then you’ll have to yell at them.

9 pm: Should be some quality time from now to 11 to just relax, and if the family isn’t supportive of the relaxation, then go ahead and hole up and write. If you’re just getting home from someplace, try not to veg out too soon, make sure you take care of business before it’s too late. Like why the hell are all these dishes and laundry still looking at me?

10 pm; Matt’s probably going to bed. Say goodnight or something.

11 pm: Now, if you are on a roll with some writing or a good book or binging something great on TV, then go ahead and stay up. But if you are just sitting online, frittering away time, then for gods sake, find a book to read, and get into your damn bed.