At work, we manage our time and calendar carefully.
We see when meetings overlap.
We know when we don’t have enough time set aside to work on a project.
We shift and rearrange.
At home, we know the commitments.
Picking up the kids.
Dinner with friends.
The calendar.
We tend to have less process around the projects.
Bills.
Groceries.
Cleaning.
Maintenance.
Many of us try to stick these things in between the rest of life.
My Story
Over the years, I’ve been good at planning certain areas of life management and bad at others.
Bills, laundry, grocery, and cleaning have a weekend routine.
Maintenance isn’t on the radar until it’s an emergency.
Calls for appointments and other “live” conversations are avoided and pushed back.
Until they are also an emergency.
This year, I’m trying something new.
Scheduling maintenance that I know is needed in certain months.
Proactively putting time aside on the calendar.
I don’t know if it will work, but I’m giving it a try.
Life Management
I find it interesting that there is so much “hidden” in our lives.
We don’t talk to friends and co-workers about the process of running our lives.
We don’t discuss bill paying techniques.
Maintenance schedules.
Keeping our house clean amidst our busy life.
Providing tips and ideas to help each other manage the invisible.
Maybe it’s time to start having conversations.
Your Turn
What do you struggle with in the “managing life” category?
Are certain areas on a schedule and others more ad hoc?
If you could have one conversation on life management next week, what topic would you choose?