If you were a fly on the wall during a discussion between another “proud grandmother” (pg) and me, this is what you would have heard:

Other PG –  It’s so funny – I find that even though my kids are grown, and mostly out of the house – I have NO time for anything.

Me – I agree – I know the feeling…

Other PG – My youngest is 12, and the rest are married with kids of their own, and I’m so BUSY – and not only my career, just with being the center and hub of everything that goes on in my family.

Me – Yup – I feel the same way…

In case, you’re wondering why I didn’t respond much  to this woman’s comments, here’s why: I had nothing to add! I feel exactly the same way as she does. She said it so succinctly and I could not have said it better.

All of us women – whatever our ages and stages — are finding that we are so busy and occupied with different projects, tasks and passions. It’s a good thing and we love it, but we tend to feel a bit overwhelmed. Keeping our eyes on the goal and planning strategies are important.

As I’m writing this, however, I do believe that a few things come to mind that  helps me feel less overwhelmed while doing my daily tasks: 2 P’s – Priorities and Pacing.

PRIORITIES AND PACING:

Priorities:

Priorities are about knowing what comes first and what does not come first – but comes second or third…

Priorities – are about what we do first, and what we do next. We tackle the more important things first, and the less important tasks next.

Knowing what is “important” and what is “less important” at each moment, is called “knowing and setting our priorities.”

Priorities – first things first. Make a list. Decide what order you need to do those items in your day and then do it. One at a time.

For example, I am writing this blog now. After that, I’m going to eat breakfast.  Maybe we can view my breakfast as my “reward” for completing a blog.

First things first. I know that if I eat before blogging, I may not get to the blogging and then I will fall behind. Since I don’t want that to happen, I do it first.

I realize from past experience that once I am in the kitchen, I can get side-tracked with other things (that’s a whole other blog….LOL).

First things first. Second things second, and so forth…

On my list are things like “go to gym,” “go to doctor’s appointment,” “go to client a,” “write up draft of such-and-such article,” “call son,” “invite so-and-so for Shabbat,” “plan talk for such-and-such event,” “get wedding gift for so-and-so,” and so forth.

I number my to-do list and I do it. Punch, punch, check, check…

Pacing –

Pacing is about looking at the clock or watch, and keeping track. It is about knowing how much time to spend with tasks over a short period of time (by looking at the clock). It is also about how much time to spend with each item over a long period of time (by keeping one’s eye on the calendar).

For example, if I forget to look at the clock, and before I know it, 2 hours of blogging have gone by, I am probably not pacing my day properly. I may be pacing the blog and getting lots done, but my day tasks will suffer.

But if I spend 20 minutes on the blog, I know that’s realistic because as I look at the clock now — (it has already been 10 minutes) that tells me I have 10 more minutes maximum to wrap this blog post up.

And if 10 more minutes pass, and I have not wrapped the blog post up, I put it into a draft, and come back to it tonight or tomorrow to revise and publish.

Pacing ourselves in our lives- for short term and long term projects – requires constant awareness of time going by, and knowing how much time to delegate to each section of our day.

I recall one of our sons was taking the SAT exam, and when he came out of the exam building,  he mentioned to me that he didn’t finish the essay. He completed 4 paragraphs (out of 5)  and then the proctor revealed that the 25 minutes allotted time was up. Now, granted, 25 minutes is not a long time for an essay. And in the end, my son scored quite well on those 4 paragraphs, and received minimum deduction for not having a conclusion, but still. Pacing oneself down to the minute is often a great – albeit difficult – skill.

So there you have it: Priorities and Pacing.

If we keep those 2 P’s in mind when we decide what to do today, when to do it, and how long to give each task, we will be much more relaxed and fulfilled during our BUSY day – for all grandmothers and moms out there!