I relate to Liz Lemon. She wants to "have it all," and so do I. Hubristically, I fancy I'm a bit more organized and confident that our dear Liz. That may just make me less likeable. But, we do share a love of cheese, and a desire to have a beautifully balanced, happily organized life. In order to even pretend that can happen for me, I have to write lots of lists, make religious use of my planner, and set myself goals, which I write down in list form as well.
Here's the thing: every summer, I set myself some goals--personal, professional, enriching. That kind of crap. Every summer, I struggle with checking off even a couple of goals. When I do, I feel really really great. For instance, last summer, I set a goal to write 100 pages for my book, and to go running three times a week. When I hit September, I had 111 pages and felt awesome about my health and body.
Then, the fall semester started and both goals blew away with the crumbling leaves. This summer, I want to try something different. Something that I can sustain when the fall semester starts and things really kick into high pedagogical gear.
So, I sat down with my notebook and wrote out my goals, which are various in scope and application. But, it all boils down to wanting to set aside time each day for writing, and for physical activity, as well as making time each week for:
- yoga class
- making one vegetarian dinner
- having a date night with the hubs
- making time to hang out with friends
I looked at the daily goals and the weekly goals. I looked at my planner, which I jokingly refer to as my "extra appendage." Something clicked.
There's color coding, there are check boxes...what more could a girl want? My hope is that the system is flexible enough to morph into whatever the semesters may throw at me, yet consistent enough so that I can incorporate these things regularly into my life. Is it a tad "over-organized?" Maybe. I'll keep you posted on how it works out.
Meanwhile, what do you do to keep your life organized and balanced?
