As much as November was packed and went off without much trouble, December is not quite as full, but I am running myself ragged every day and I don’t know quite where all my time is going! What am I doing each day? My schedule doesn’t seem full, but yet I’m running here and there and all around the square…every day. Then I’m exhausted. What can I do to combat that? In November, I knew my schedule was full, so I used several techniques to manage that. But unless I can get a grip on what’s filling my days, I can’t employ those same techniques. How do you manage details that seem to pop up out of no where?
Christmas shopping. First off, and don’t be hating on me…I’m one of those people that is usually DONE shopping by the first week of December. Well, with my packed November, that did not happen. I had not even started by the time December rolled around. I had not even made one list. Grrr….
Christmas baking. I’m also one of those wives/moms (again, don’t be hating) that likes to bake Christmas goodies to have hanging around the house during this season for guests that stop in and what not. I’m talking like fudge and cookies and other treats like that. I have not even made the grocery list to shop for the ingredients to start on said goodies. Driving. Me. Bananas.
Seasonal Traditions. I like for us to do the advent candles. And we have the Little People Nativity that we do an activity with. The characters are “hidden” around the house and every 5 days, we tell a piece of the Nativity story featuring a character and that character makes their way to the Nativity stable. Yeah, it’s Dec 8th, we haven’t done one yet (we missed Dec 1st and Dec 5th). Grrr….
Galleys. My galleys are in for “The General’s Wife”. The last and most important step of this process before publication. They have a hard deadline though – Dec 15th. I have yet to download the document. I am soooo behind.
So, where is all my time going? I am seriously running around like a chicken with my head cut off…without a plan, letting things hit me as they will. Maybe that’s the problem. I’ve become a reactive person rather than a proactive person. Maybe I need to remember the lessons I learned in November about what goes “on the bar” and what I need to let go of, and plan my day accordingly. And stick to the plan. Not letting these last minute things throw my day for a loop. Proactive, not reactive. What about you?