Weeks Like This

It is one of those weeks. One of those weeks with precious little white space on the calendar. One of those weeks where commitments made weeks ago just happen to fall in the same calendar square as things I don't want to miss, or don't want my kids to miss. A week where activities and responsibilities are colliding. A week where Tim also has a busy schedule, and late work nights. One of those weeks where I sat at the computer Tuesday at 6:00 PM already tired from the week.

The weather yesterday was absolutely gorgeous. Unseasonable warm and sunny, it was a welcome change from the gray freezing weather we experienced last week. One of the things I didn't want to miss on my calendar this week was lunch with a friend of mine who I do not get to see as often as I once did. We enjoyed the wonderful food at one of my favorite local restaurants, and then took advantage of the beautiful weather by sitting out on the porch for awhile chatting, partially about weeks like this.

We have similar personalities, and she could completely empathize with my over booked calendar for the week. Being busy is good; to a point. I work best when there is a deadline, when I am busy, and have to be efficient to accomplish the tasks. When I don't have a lot to do, (or maybe I should say a lot of pressing things or things with a deadline) I tend to dawdle the day away, and find myself at the end of the day with nothing really done. But there is a fine line between that place, and weeks like this.

When I find myself with a week that is entirely too full, I tend to shut down. Seriously, looking at this week's calendar, this week's to do list, and the tasks that I didn't get checked off last week, makes me want to just sit here and do nothing. Well, maybe spend hours on Facebook or Pinterest or some other no brain required activity, but nothing that I need to do. I just shut down when there is too much.

This used to be a regularly occurring problem for me. As homeschoolers, our schedule is somewhat flexible. It is hard to say no to all the field trips, activities, and play dates offered by the different groups in the area. I've learned that I have to. I have to say no if we ever going to do any school work at home. I have to say no to adequately attend to my responsibilities at home and the farm. I have to say no to maintain my sanity.

I've learned that I have to put everything on the calendar. We have guitar every Thursday. I can remember this without my calendar, but putting it on the calendar provides a visual cue to how full that week will be. I put farm tasks on the calendar to remind me of what needs done, and to create a deadline for those tasks. I have even been know to put household tasks, such as "pay the bills," on the calendar so I don't forget.

Weeks like this are not as common as they once were, yet, here I find myself smack dab in the middle of one. I have to cope. I don't have time to shut down. So, this is what I'm doing. I'm writing. I suppose it seems counter productive. I really don't have the time to write this blog post, but writing is a release of tension for me. Writing a post like this helps me to organize my thoughts, and stop the swirling chaos in my brain. Writing helps me see the big picture.

I am enjoying the moment. I am trying hard to not constantly have my head in the next activity or task while I should be focusing on the moment at hand. I enjoyed a long and leisurely lunch with a friend. I took a few moments to enjoy our two week old piglets while feeding this morning. I walked past the computer to enjoy coffee and time with Tim this morning. I try to keep my focus on what is really important.

I am re-evaluating and prioritizing. This week's list looks pretty hard to trim, but quite a bit has already been checked off. I can only do what I can do. I can't make myself or my family crazy in the meantime.

I'm putting my head down and getting to work. Focusing on one task at time. Refusing to let myself shut down, or get distracted, I can get a lot done.

I am considering what went wrong. How did this week get so ridiculously full? How can I keep this from happening again? It seems like some weeks, including this one, it just happens. There are things that have to be done, and they just happen to fall in the same week. I don't know how to fix that.

One thing I am considering is just marking out whole days. Not necessarily to not do anything, but marking them out to not go anywhere. Needing to go somewhere every day messes up my week. It is hard to get things done when we are in the car half the day. Would I stick to it? I don't know.

Weeks like this are a hard. They are exhausting to me, but we will get through it, hopefully with minimal stress. Now, it is time to take a deep breath, grab a cup of coffee, and dig in.