28 March 2008

Puddling
When I have been in overdrive for as long as I have been in recent weeks, I do what I call puddling. As defined in my book, puddling is the art of falling apart after too much stress. And yes, it is an art. I actually do try and ensure that major aspects of my life have peaks at different times...Tae Kwon Do, instructional design contract, role playing...all while trying to maintain the quality of caring for Elle, home, and having a social life. However, I failed utterly in February/March.

I do take responsibility for actually thinking that two tournaments in three weeks would not be overwhelming, but as exciting as it was to get a van for Dan Shi, it was a very stressful 10 days of raising $5000! I'm so very grateful that so many people responded and we did indeed raise exactly $5000, but the stress...wow.

That was not the time for my instructional design work to blow up in my face. The university where I provide the sole instructional design support is experiencing huge growing pains, so I committed to being in Ohio every other Wednesday until summer. Not a big deal, but another thing to do. On top of that, I'm co-hosting a curriculum writer's seminar next month, so that's a huge focus right now.

Role playing - signing up for TWO Mushes (while being new at Mushing) was probably not the most brilliant time management maneuver when I already run a game and play in a game. I think now that the character creation process is done for each of them, I can play on my time now, but creating two characters in that detail at once was hazardous to my headaches.

It's all slowing down now, not stopped, but certainly slowing, and I'm officially ... puddled.

This experience has taught me some valuable time management tricks to maintain sanity:

1) Keep at least one weekend free and clear each month. If you do something socially, make sure it's short and pleasant.

2) Set aside at least one weekend a month that is either focused on fixing the house, or getting away from the house. This depends on your current state of emotions - if you're sick of the house...GET OUT. Go on a winery tour. Go to Turkey Run State Park. Go to Cincinnati's IKEA. Go to the Chicago Institute of Art. Something. If you crave to focus on your own special spot (home), then make a list of goals and get to it :)

3) Above all, make sure 1-2 hours a day is spent on you, and I don't mean a movie, which makes our blood circulate even more slowly than sitting at a desk chair for 8 hours. Do something active that you enjoy and get personal pleasure. My personal pleasure includes working out with my husband, taking my baby to the swings, gardening, and ensuring that my family does a little bit of music each evening together. I have other hobbies too, but these are active activities that get the blood pumping and different brain cells working. My whole persona improves after a week of doing this. Hang the work and responsibility for 1-2 hours a day - we have a responsibility to our sanity too!