“Life is what happens when you make other plans.” I don’t know who first came up with this gem, but it fits. No matter how completely I map out my time or how specific my ToDo list is, something always seems to come up to burst my ambition and steal my time. Sometimes it’s a tragedy, like losing my brother last month. Other times it’s a homeowner woe, a leaking sink or a cracked window. I wish it was more often a phone call from family or an impromptu lunch with a friend.
I figure I lose about 5 or 6 hours of productive time each week to these pop-up needs. That may not seem like much when you know a week has 168 hours. But when you break the week into tasks…
- Sleeping (42 – 49 hours
- Day job with travel (46 hours)
- SuperMom time, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the animals, shopping, errands (25 hours)
- Writing/editing, critique and writer’s group (30 hours)
- Time spent with my wonderful husband and kids
…you get the idea.
Wouldn’t it be better to set aside an hour each day for Life. If nothing pops up to fill that time, we could bank it for the ncxt day, and hopefully the next. Then we’ll have it when we need it.
But instead, I’m not going to schedule my full 168 hours this week. Sure, some things have to be scheduled, but I’m going to roll with the flow this week. If Life is what happens when you make other plans, let’s see what happens when I don’t make plans.
Have a wonderful week, my friends. I’m planning on it.
