The Juggling Act vs. The Wish List

So, how did I do this week with my attempt to balance my life? Well, the it resembled the picture to the left, there won't be any talent agencies offering me a contract for my juggling abilities. Out of all the balls I tossed into the air, I manage two phone calls to family and only made it out to the glider once - for about five minutes. 

What black hole is sucking up my time? After more reflection , I think I've discovered culprit No.2 - age. ( seeThe Wish List for Culprit No.1).

Yep it's age. When my kids were still young, I dreamed about all the time I would have after they were grown. Then, my dad burst that bubble. "You won't have any extra time after the kids are gone, because it will take you twice as long to do everything."

Guess what? Now that I have reached that same age bracket, I have to admit he was right, and that is something I fail to account for in my To Do Lists and my Wish Lists. When making those lists,  I feel invincible  with more energy than the Eveready Bunny, until I actually start doing the things on my list.

Okay, so what do I do now? I need to do something because I am falling further and further behind and becoming more frustrated. Should just accept the fact I can't do it all and just let it all go? The selfish part of my ego is screaming, no, terrified the things left off the list will be the ones I want to do the most. Is there any hope?


As a matter of fact, yes. I remembered the story of Ivy Lee and Charles Schwab. Ivy was a time management specialist Charles Schwab paid $25,000 for her time management idea - a hundred years ago. That was a tremendous amount of money back then. So, what was so special about her idea? It is so simple you'll want to smack yourself, like I did, for not thinking of it first. 

I followed this little gem when I owned my business, and can report it works very well. I forgot about it during my work hiatus after selling my business, and somehow never picked it back up. Well, it is time to re-establish it. I've seen several versions, but the one that I found worked the best for me was the three point plan (some suggest six but at my age fewer balls in the air is best). 

In the evening, or early morning, I intend to make a list of three tasks( six for those of you with more energy than smarts, I mean dedication) I need to accomplish - beyond my daily required tasks - like showering, meals, work etc. I will then prioritize them, obviously the most important one first, then move down the list.

If after the end of the day I have only accomplished one, that's fine. The most important one was taken care of. When I make my list for the next morning, number two moves up to number one, three goes into the number two slot and I'll add a third. By the end of the week seven of the most important tasks will be completed, and if I am lucky enough to accomplish more than one a day, I'll be even further ahead - without all of my current frustration. At least that is the plan. 

I intend to add in things from my Wish List, perhaps alternating them with the Must Do list. Remember, this is above the daily routine of dishes,beds, meals, work etc. This just might be the solution to my poor balancing act.  I'll report back next week and let you know how I fared. 

How about you? How well are you performing your balancing act?