So here's how to tackle your to-do list when you have one kid hanging off your leg and another one glued to your chestral area. (Thank you, Ms. Fenske, for the inspiration):
1. Omit nothing from the list. Literally nothing. You want to have easy tasks to cross off throughout the day. I have "Get the kids dressed" on my list. And "Take a shower or, barring that, wash your face, skanky lady."
2. Write down the guilt tasks so that you know they exist and then cross them out of your brain. Thank you notes? Calling loved ones? I'm sorry, we're operating on a much more basic level here. I will write those thank you notes by the time the baby is in pre-school. I promise.
3. Be smart with high-priority tasks. I would love nothing more than to get my writing done at the beginning of the day, but that just does not happen. So I think about what I'm going to write while I'm nursing the baby or doing the dishes or changing poopy diapers. I try not to compare my writing to the poopy diapers, however difficult that is.
4. Do the double-duty. Ha. Duty. Right now I am writing this post and playing Play-Doh with the kid while listening to the dog whine about how badly he wants a treat. I am a multi-task master.
5. Ditch the distractions. Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha-ha HA!
6. Add stuff just to cross it off. Did I write "Make To-Do List" on my to-do list today? Why, yes. Yes, I did.
7. Neuter your next list/Don't feel guilty about not responding. If you don't write emails, you don't get emails. It's a simple fact of life. And makes life much less complicated.
8. Save communication for when you've made a dent in the list. So true. I have a habit of being very testy when I'm feeling overwhelmed. Just ask my mother. Don't forget about the communication, however. All babies and no adult conversation make Julie go absolutely nucking futs.
9. Timing is everything. I don't go anywhere after 10:00 AM. My day is ruined if I have to hit the Jewel after noon. To quote a Seinfeld episode (Hey! I got TV into this post!), "I hate people. They're the worst." And I will avoid seeing them and dealing with them if it means I have to shop for groceries at 5:45 AM.
10. Don't forget the downtime. I tell myself that I let the baby nap on me during the afternoon so that she doesn't wake up her brother, but really it's so that I force myself to lie down and take some time for myself to read or sleep or watch The View.
I want to add a #11: Make your bed. I make my bed every day. Whatever else happens that day, at least I've accomplished that.
What are your tips for being productive?
And -- BOOM! -- "Write blog post" is crossed off my list.
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