Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Scheduling Real Life

When I'm at work, scheduling comes naturally.  I always have a calendar showing the day's appointments right in front of me when I'm at my desk.  I keep my project plans and task schedules up to date so I can always have a finger on my project status.  I'm in the habit of keeping things on time and it just seems to work for me - at work.
 
Why is it, then, that outside of work is such a different story?  Three kids with sports practices and extra-curricular activites.  My wife who is finishing up her degree in the evenings and working part time.  Kids' homework, dinner, showers, etc.  House cleaning, repairs, yard work.  Sleep (glorious sleep).  I'm well aware that if I would keep the same sort of meticulous schedule at home that I do at work, things would flow much more smoothly.  Why don't I do it?
 
I think the primary reason is that I have this belief that non-working time should be liesure time.  I know that is not true, but it's deeply rooted in my gut.  It just feels like if I'm doing the same things that I do at work to manage life outside of work - have I ever really left work?  The paradox is that by doing those things at work I keep the fire-fighting to a minimum and keep things mostly under control.  I could have all of that goodness at home as well, if only...
 
OK.  New resolution - I will take the first step towards getting my home life back under control starting today.  For baby step number one I will schedule all of my home activities on iCal, which I will then publish to Google calendar.  This will at least allow me to keep the framework of the days activities in my mind so I that I can stay focused on what is at hand.  I will do this for two weeks and then begin the as yet unnamed baby step number two.
 
 

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