Getting it “all done”
Mercury’s not even in retrograde, but, it seems like working parents around the Internet are stressed out lately.
Carmen, at Mom to the Screaming Masses is a working mother of 6, and, she’s having one of those moments where we realize that between work and home, we’re never going to “get it all done”.
I can so relate to the days where the sheer volume of what needs to be done is enough to knock you on your backside.
Everyone has their own reality and stressors, and, as cliche as it sounds, I’m slowly learning that “getting it all done” is a process and not a destination because I’m not sure there is ever going to be a “done”.
I know I’m sensitive to getting stressed about “getting it done” some days more than others. As far as I know, there are no magic answers except to just dive in and do it at both work and home.
I just want to thank you for saying this – it is a process, not a destination. I’ve come to think the same way about “getting caught up.” It never stays that way, because something else always comes along.
During the work week my motto is: food in every tummy and clean undies on every butt. Anything beyond that is bonus.
Of course the dining room floor gets slightly crunchy from time to time…
One way to make sure you can get it all done is to make sure your employer adopts a ROWE (Results-Only Work Environment) mindset. It means they won’t judge you by the hours you put in or whether you show your face in the office – all they’ll care about is whether you’re getting to your results. So you could grocery shop on a Tuesday morning or do laundry on a Wednesday afternoon – as long as you’re getting your work done, no one cares. And they won’t judge you for it. I have a friend who works at Best Buy’s corporate headquarters and they do ROWE – it’s changed his life. The creators of ROWE have a great blog that I wish all employers would look at – it’s at http://www.caliandjody.com/blog.