Commit To Being Busy

I’m so busy – such a cliché.  Those three words epitomize our society – I’m busy, crazy busy, insanity rules, blah, blah, blah.  Well folks – I am actually really busy.  I am in the middle of supporting a PGA tour event where I work, preparing for house guests for a 10-day stay,  and in my spare time, trying to plan a 13-day trip to Holland, Belgium and Germany to commence in less than two weeks. I have been operating on an amped-up schedule for the past two weeks with two weeks left to go in this mode.  House-guests arrive this Friday, the PGA event starts a week from today, and our trip is two weeks from Wednesday.  It’s crunch time, but best laid plans are in place and things are running smoothly. To make this crazy time work for me, I decided to commit to being busy. I suspended my normal “regular” life for a designated time period and I am ending up actually enjoying this madness.  I came to the realization that people try to conduct their “normal” lives around a busy event and it ends up being too much.  Just give it up – albeit temporarily and commit to being busy.  Here are the rules I set for myself:

• I gave my busy time a time frame.   For me, is was one month.  I blocked my schedule for 30 days, called it “out of commission” on my calendar and devoted myself to it.

• Make my morning commute do-able.  I scrapped my car, along with road rage, traffic and crabby drivers. I am fortunate enough to be able to take the train to work when I want to.  I found I get to work in better time, and my morning commute is relaxing – yes, relaxing.  My husband drops me off at the train station and I take a brief 15 minute train ride to work.  I take that time to preview work emails and catch up on social media.  Once I arrive at my destination, I have a luxurious 15 minute walk up a tree-lined quiet street to get to the golf club where I work.  I drink my “to go” cup of tea, enjoy the walk, and take that time to formulate my strategy for my upcoming day.

• Suspend leisure and sport activities.   I don’t need the added stress of trying to cram in a workout, or staying up late to read 5 chapters in a book.  Those activities will be available to me soon enough, and I need my spare time for production.  If I really want to sit and relax, I turn on the TV while laying in bed at the end of the day and catch a quick half hour of something before I fall asleep.  This fills my need for escapism.  I actually think I end up more rested than if I tried to be super woman.

• Have a few glasses of wine each evening.    Now I’m not promoting alcohol consumption but I decided to come home from my crazy day and have a few glasses of wine.  It is very relaxing, and since I am suspending work outs for a month, I can have a few drinks and unwind.  This has been the best part of the past few weeks.

• Take advantage of my work computer.  Most of everything we do is online these days so I try to take a few minutes every hour to check my personal email and plan my Europe trip.  This is actually doable.  I list one hotel each day that I want to reserve, and with my five minutes each hour I’m able to research and book.  My husband and I have Skype up all day, so I can chat with him in minutes or at least get my message out there to him so we can plan our schedules accordingly.

• Relinquish down time.  I am amazed at how much you can get done if you maximize your time.  I skip walking the dog in the morning (we have an invisible fence so she can run around the yard) and take that half-hour each morning to prepare for our house guests (laundry, clean a cabinet, make a list).    I also do the same at night – with my wine glass (of course) –  I knock a few things off my list.

• Weekend working – drive to work and shop on the way to and the way home.    Since I have been working weekends, I drive to work because the trains don’t run as often.  I actually had time to shop for a dress to wear to the wedding we are attending in Holland on the way to work, and I have stopped numerous times at the grocery on my way home from work to stock up on food for company (I shop from the list I make in the mornings.)

I realize I make all of this sound like a temporary death sentence from fun and happiness, but it actually has given me a great sense of accomplishment.   Remember, if this is a temporary busy time, alleviating all the details and activities of normal life will end up making you more relaxed during your crazy time and will allow you to focus just on that.

Just remember the famous quote from Lucille Ball:  If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.  The more things you do, the more you can do.