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Monday, April 25, 2011

The Juggling Act: How Do You Handle The Unexpected?

"There cannot be a stressful crisis next week. My schedule is already full"--Henry Kissinger


Most of the time I feel I am jogging alongside the bus; happily busy checking off my list. Other times the bus runs me over. For the past few weeks I’ve been in a in a bus-runneth-over state.

I’ll bet you’ve been here…juggling a colicky relationship, financial matters, the care of aging parents, deadlines, social obligations and the weeds in your front yard. Just when all the balls are in the air and you’ve got the rhythm down someone tosses another ball--of a different weight—and it throws you right off. Please excuse the mixed metaphors, it’s 1 AM and the little editor in my head has clocked out.



This isn’t the first time I’ve been clicking away while the neighborhood sleeps. On the up side, there are no distractions and it is a short commute to my bed. I do wonder though, how common is it for those of us working from home to put in extended hours? Do unscheduled demands throw off your juggling act? How do you handle life’s little emergencies?



Share your thoughts with your friends…



Robyn Chausse

7 comments:

  1. Robyn,
    That's why I'm up at 5:30 a.m. to do my work, while everyone else (including the dogs) is still asleep. I try to stay up at night, but with a new baby in the house, I am just wiped! :) SO, I find morning works best for me.
    Thanks for the post,
    Margo
    http://margodill.com/blog/

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  2. Yes, it is common for me to put in extended hours but the fact that I get to go to Moms and Muffins Day at school, swimming during the summer, and a host of other activities makes it all worthwhile. My only suggestion is not to throw the regular schedule completely out the window or it will soon feel like you're working ALL the time. Yes, abandon the regular hours to attend a special event at your kid's school but not to sleep late or watch Judge Judy.

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  3. Hi Margo,
    I was thinking of you last week--adjusting to working with a new baby:)
    Yes, mornings after sleeping are preferable to mornings before bed. LOL!

    Hi jean3tte,
    No Judge Judy here... Just creditors demanding budgets, mothers having mini-strokes, the entire family needing their taxes done and partners throwing fits. It's like a can of chaos was opened and all the gremlins ran out at once!

    But, Easter, a time of rebirth and renewal just breezed through so I am hoping all will calm down and return to normal:)

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  4. I have been doing a similar juggling act this year: caring for parents and now passing the plague around. My hubby is home sick and I just picked my daughter up from school early because she has an ear ache...it just goes on and on.

    In the past I've let stress stop me from writing. This time I decided to change my internal sound track and tell myself that I need to write as a cure for stress. So far it has worked beautifully!

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  5. Janel,
    Oh, I know that feeling...it just goes on and on.
    Best wishes for a quick recovery to health!

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  6. When I was young I dreamed of the time when I would have uninterrupted days and nights. Now I dream of the years when I had time I didn't recognize! My life is a jumble constantly and now my memory keeps me messed up too...of a sudden I remember something else I'd forgotten on top of everything else. And the older I get the more I must crowd into my days in order to get everything done I want to do...whooooo!

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  7. LOL, Betty!
    Here's to the juggling act!

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