5 STEPS TO CONQUERING 'BUSYNESS'

So I was going through "drafts" of blog posts that I wrote but for one reason or another never pushed the "publish" button, and I found this one. It's really an old one but worth putting out there. All the news is old and it was written in the month of May! And not even in this year! So all the news is old! But the steps to conquering busyness still apply. So I thought I'd put it out there anyway. Hope it doesn't confuse anyone! On the other hand, I'm probably risking people thinking I've "lost it". But, oh well, for what it's worth, here it is...

May has always been a busy month for me. When my husband was teaching and coaching basketball we were invited to a minimum of 20 graduation parties a year. The 49 room Historical mansion we live in became busier than ever with future brides wanting to tour the house for their upcoming weddings, in addition to getting the house ready for Spring and Summer, and the end of the month was our big sales event for Hob Nobbers.

 This year, May seems busier than ever...I have a baby shower, wedding shower, granddaughter graduation and party, a friend's retirement party, small group potluck to cook for, volunteering for a church event, three end of the year events for three grandchildren,  my adult daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter will be moving home from China and staying with us until they find a place to live, and my BIG SPRING HOB NOBBER SALE. Oh, and Mother's Day. And my husband had already bought tickets for us to go to a baseball Twins game. And we have to get the boat in the water and cleaned for the summer. Did I mention that my Mom fell and broke her nose and is in rehab? And all in May! Other than my Mom falling, these are all fun things! And I'm looking forward to all of them. But still I began to panic wondering how I was going to get to everything all in one piece. It seemed overwhelming! And these events were in addition to our "regular responsibilities"!

So here is what I did: I sat down and mapped out a plan for the month of May. I took my calendar, a notebook, pen, ipad, phone, and a cup of coffee and found a comfy place to sit and plan my fun month of May. I put the events in the calendar. I RSVP'd ( by phone and iPad ) everyone about the events while I sat there. I made a list of all the gifts I would need to buy and what day I would shop for graduation gifts, baby gifts, retirement gifts, Mother's Day gifts, etc. I also decided I had to forego some things. Someone else will go with my husband to the Twins game and that's OK with me. The kids and grandkids offered to clean the boat and get it ready for Summer. Things were falling into place and I was feeling much more in control and much calmer. I was looking forward to all the fun events!

So here are 5 steps you can take to "get things done" when you are feeling overwhelmed about your "to do" list:

1) Gather up your calendar, notebook, pen, phone, and iPad, a cup of your favorite beverage and find a comfy place to work. Better yet,  find a spot with a lovely outdoor view!

2) Make a "to do" list for each event. If shopping is involved, make a list of things you need to buy and set a date for shopping. Or maybe shop online while you are sitting there if you are so inclined.

3) Decide if there are some things you can forego and/or  let others do for you. Even if you have to hire help for something like cleaning it is worth your sanity.  RSVP while you are sitting there of events that require it. Sometimes events will fall on the same day/time and you have to make a choice of which you will attend. 

4) Jot down the events  you will attend on your calendar.

5) Make a "Projects List" of things you need to accomplish. ( for example in my case I have a projects list for my Hob Nobber sales )

Oh, and one more thing! Work your plan, be in the moment, and enjoy every event!