I Still Have Time...

The Incredibles is one of my favorite movies. In the opening scenes, Mr. Incredible is on his way to a very important appointment when he is called into service as a super hero. Looking at his watch he says "I have time." One problem is solved and he is pressed into service again. "I still have time," he says. Oh, baby, can I relate.

I have gone to great lengths to organize my calendar, my to-do list, my goals and my priorities so that I can use my time in a more productive manner. The results that I'm looking for can be measured by two words - efficient and effective. I desire to be efficiently effective. My priorities and goals and the gajillion things that I have to do to run this life and the lives of my family need to be managed efficiently and effectively.

To that end, I've employed a strategy called 'Tidy Up Day'. On Monday, I do all the laundry, all the housecleaning (with a little help from David - logged under life skills), menu-planning, shopping list creation, calendar planning, etc., so that I don't have to be concerned with the mundane but necessary responsibilities of running a household for the rest of the week. I tried it last Monday and it worked very well.

Today, however, has been a real struggle. As I've worked on my well-planned list of mundane necessities, I've been distracted by an overwhelming desire to immerse myself in Picasa and photo blogging and Beyond Wits' End blogging and any other blog I can find. I look at my list and I hear Mr. Incredible speak in that unforgettable voice and tone saying, "I still have time." And, there I go, away from my plan and into hyperfocus land.

So, I ask myself a question. Does effectiveness have to be efficient? What if I pick off a task every two hours between long stretches of totally unnecessary self indulgence? That may negate my efficiency but, in the end, it won't impact my effectiveness, right? It's still Monday, right? Until I go to bed at about midnight, it's still Tidy Up Day. I still have time...

Best regards,

leapinlily