The choice is yours...
So my afternoon babysitter hasn't been quite as available as I'd hoped, thus leaving me very little time during the day to tackle those last few projects I had planned to get to before the baby comes. No worries - they're not urgent...but you know me. If they're on my list, I want them done!
A few days ago, I woke up from my nap - and contemplated the 4 or 5 things I wanted to try and accomplish in the 30-45 minutes I had before Deirdre woke up. Everything seemed super important...and although I wasn't stressed about accomplishing any of them, I was stumped as to which one or two I should tackle first.
Do I pick something that can be started and completed, but isn't a priority?
Do I opt for a task that's been on the list for way too long?
Do I do something that could be done while Deirdre's awake, but is such a priority that I should do it now?
Or do I tackle a large project, just so I make some headway on it?
These are the things I was considering as I lay in bed, taking just 5 minutes or so to choose my plan of attack. Of course, my mind also considered the fact that it's a bit of a raw deal that I have to choose in the first place. I found myself irked with the reality that I had just spent 2 hours sleeping, when I could have crossed almost all of those things off my list if I hadn't taken a nap. (Of course - that's not true...I probably could have completed about 3 of them...but when you're throwing a mini-pity party for yourself, rational thinking isn't normally allowed.)
So I felt sorry for myself for another minute or so, frustrated that my lupus fatigue can be so demanding, and then I wised up. I realized that although I nap, which forces me to prioritize and choose only a short list of things to accomplish in the limited time I have left, the fact that I take time to recharge and re-energize allows me to have a choice in the first place. If I didn't nap, I would be a royal mess. Maybe not the very first day...but by the second and the third, my joints would be aching, I'd probably see some swelling, and then where would I be? I wouldn't have any options at all - I wouldn't be able to choose this task over that one, because I wouldn't be capable of tackling any of them in the first place.
Having reminded myself that I'm actually creating opportunities, rather than squashing them, I returned to my mental list of things to do, gladly choosing the highest-priority item to tackle.
Of course - within a minute of my epiphany, I heard Miss Deirdre calling from her room, awake and ready to tackle the afternoon. Oh well - my great list of to-do's would have to wait. Deirdre was waiting for me to come read books with her...something I would gladly choose to do any day of the week!
A few days ago, I woke up from my nap - and contemplated the 4 or 5 things I wanted to try and accomplish in the 30-45 minutes I had before Deirdre woke up. Everything seemed super important...and although I wasn't stressed about accomplishing any of them, I was stumped as to which one or two I should tackle first.
Do I pick something that can be started and completed, but isn't a priority?
Do I opt for a task that's been on the list for way too long?
Do I do something that could be done while Deirdre's awake, but is such a priority that I should do it now?
Or do I tackle a large project, just so I make some headway on it?
These are the things I was considering as I lay in bed, taking just 5 minutes or so to choose my plan of attack. Of course, my mind also considered the fact that it's a bit of a raw deal that I have to choose in the first place. I found myself irked with the reality that I had just spent 2 hours sleeping, when I could have crossed almost all of those things off my list if I hadn't taken a nap. (Of course - that's not true...I probably could have completed about 3 of them...but when you're throwing a mini-pity party for yourself, rational thinking isn't normally allowed.)
So I felt sorry for myself for another minute or so, frustrated that my lupus fatigue can be so demanding, and then I wised up. I realized that although I nap, which forces me to prioritize and choose only a short list of things to accomplish in the limited time I have left, the fact that I take time to recharge and re-energize allows me to have a choice in the first place. If I didn't nap, I would be a royal mess. Maybe not the very first day...but by the second and the third, my joints would be aching, I'd probably see some swelling, and then where would I be? I wouldn't have any options at all - I wouldn't be able to choose this task over that one, because I wouldn't be capable of tackling any of them in the first place.
Having reminded myself that I'm actually creating opportunities, rather than squashing them, I returned to my mental list of things to do, gladly choosing the highest-priority item to tackle.
Of course - within a minute of my epiphany, I heard Miss Deirdre calling from her room, awake and ready to tackle the afternoon. Oh well - my great list of to-do's would have to wait. Deirdre was waiting for me to come read books with her...something I would gladly choose to do any day of the week!
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