Laura Vanderkam's new book came out yesterday, and I bought it because I like her writing even when I disagree with her. In it she's writing about insights gleaned from the lives of mothers who earn >$100K. While I'm not in her target demographic, I'm intrigued by what she has to say about the ways our culture gets it wrong on work-life balance. In case you couldn't tell from the tone of my last two posts, I have been battling a discouraging malaise. I have a zillion things to do and yet I am not sure where my days are going. The less I get done, the gloomier I feel; the gloomier I feel, the less I get done.
So! I decided to log my time this week. I have tried and failed to log my time before, but I think my days are less fragmented now that my kids are bigger. Insights from today:
- I think I'd like to use my mornings better. Earlier this spring, right after I wrote this post, I got into the habit of getting up and doing three newspaper puzzles in the morning. I had this aching need to find the Right Way, the Logical Solution, in a situation with puzzling tangles and distressing possibilities. It doesn't take me a long time to do the puzzles (Sudoku, Cryptoquip (she admits with a trace of embarrassment), KenKen), but perhaps I can do them after I've knocked some stuff off the list.
- Part of my cooking slump is that it takes time, more time than I like to think it does, to cook from scratch. Still, I think it's worth it. This is a golden opportunity for teaching the kids Life Skills and working together companionably. It is worth the hassle. I think I'm going to try a rough menu framework this summer and see if that eases the decision fatigue. (OH, such a first-world problem it is to feel overwhelmed by all the things one might feed one's family. EEK, this is rather an embarrassing post.)
- Our summer schedule is going to involve more driving than I like (today I logged a hundred minutes in the car; during the school year I might go a couple of days without setting foot in a vehicle). It can be a pleasant opportunity for conversation, but it's important to leave enough time for getting out the door so the tone is calm as we drive.
The #1 determinant of my state of mind and productivity continues to be adequate sleep. So off to bed with me!
Since I wrote this I've been thinking about how rare it is to lead a life in which driving 100 minutes is something to complain about. Since none of my trips took longer than 15 minutes and a few were less than 5, it was a bunch of trips in our AC-less vehicle. But probably I shouldn't be complaining!
Posted by: Jamie | June 11, 2015 at 10:06 AM
I admit I got a laugh from the lament of spending 100 minutes in the car. Commuting is the bane of my existence. If everything is perfect, my daily minimum is 90 minutes. That never happens. If something goes horribly wrong, it is not hard to double that, but average is probably 125 minutes a day.
Posted by: Jenny | June 12, 2015 at 07:22 AM