Reluctantly unplugged: Working not-so-furiously to stay afloat
Last weekend was a tough one: my computer and my mobile phone conked out on the same day, with no replacements in sight for nearly a week. Is that even legal?
I struggled to make it through the week while I was technologically deprived, snagging a moment here and there when I could hop onto Johnny's desktop to do a little catching up. I definitely take for granted the accessibility I have with my cell phone and laptop: I couldn't make a call while running errands; I couldn't check a customer's address while at the post office; I couldn't even send an email at my leisure. How dependent I've become on my mobile devices!
And to add to the mayhem, last week was the first week without our afternoon babysitter. Johnny and I had to do some adjusting in order to cover my nap, juggle the computer, and fit in my work stuff - fulfilling orders, returning calls, etc. The week was not what you'd call a smooth one.
That said, I have to applaud myself - for as hectic and nerve-racking as the week was, I didn't fall into my usual trap of complicating the situation with a lack of sleep. Often times, when work/home/renovation tasks start piling up, I find myself reverting to my old "push through" mentality -- my default in times of stress. I stay up late and get up early in order to get things done, sacrificing much needed sleep that I don't make up for during the day. I convince myself that in order to re-establish order in times of chaos, I need to work around the clock to get things under control. Of course, I miss the fact that I'm only adding to the chaos by doing so.
But this time - I chose wisely. I didn't add to the chaos. I didn't drive myself mad trying to catch up at night. I didn't make list upon list of the stuff that was piling up. In fact, I did the exact opposite. I recognized that a good night's sleep was the one thing I could do to HELP the situation, and got 10 hours of sleep at night for several consecutive nights. Thus, I woke up rested and relaxed, ready to face the complications of the day. I troubleshooted with ease, simply because I had the wherewithal to do it. I wasn't running on empty - so those tasks that I had let slide the night before got quality attention the next morning - albeit sans computer and phone. I was able to strategize my efforts to keep Gorman/Pillbag/Despite Lupus headquarters running smoothly, in a way that would have been impossible had I been exhausted. My lupus fatigue is very unforgiving - uncompromising and inconsiderate, too - and I would have been completely unproductive had it been present. I needed to be at my best in order to make it through the week, not my busiest - a fact I can attest to, now that I've done it.
So mark one down for the lupite. Sara: 1; Lupus: 0. I'll update my spreadsheet - as soon as I have a computer to do it on!
I struggled to make it through the week while I was technologically deprived, snagging a moment here and there when I could hop onto Johnny's desktop to do a little catching up. I definitely take for granted the accessibility I have with my cell phone and laptop: I couldn't make a call while running errands; I couldn't check a customer's address while at the post office; I couldn't even send an email at my leisure. How dependent I've become on my mobile devices!
And to add to the mayhem, last week was the first week without our afternoon babysitter. Johnny and I had to do some adjusting in order to cover my nap, juggle the computer, and fit in my work stuff - fulfilling orders, returning calls, etc. The week was not what you'd call a smooth one.
That said, I have to applaud myself - for as hectic and nerve-racking as the week was, I didn't fall into my usual trap of complicating the situation with a lack of sleep. Often times, when work/home/renovation tasks start piling up, I find myself reverting to my old "push through" mentality -- my default in times of stress. I stay up late and get up early in order to get things done, sacrificing much needed sleep that I don't make up for during the day. I convince myself that in order to re-establish order in times of chaos, I need to work around the clock to get things under control. Of course, I miss the fact that I'm only adding to the chaos by doing so.
But this time - I chose wisely. I didn't add to the chaos. I didn't drive myself mad trying to catch up at night. I didn't make list upon list of the stuff that was piling up. In fact, I did the exact opposite. I recognized that a good night's sleep was the one thing I could do to HELP the situation, and got 10 hours of sleep at night for several consecutive nights. Thus, I woke up rested and relaxed, ready to face the complications of the day. I troubleshooted with ease, simply because I had the wherewithal to do it. I wasn't running on empty - so those tasks that I had let slide the night before got quality attention the next morning - albeit sans computer and phone. I was able to strategize my efforts to keep Gorman/Pillbag/Despite Lupus headquarters running smoothly, in a way that would have been impossible had I been exhausted. My lupus fatigue is very unforgiving - uncompromising and inconsiderate, too - and I would have been completely unproductive had it been present. I needed to be at my best in order to make it through the week, not my busiest - a fact I can attest to, now that I've done it.
So mark one down for the lupite. Sara: 1; Lupus: 0. I'll update my spreadsheet - as soon as I have a computer to do it on!
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