Kathleen Valenti

My Very Busy Schedule

time-management-1966396_640
Image courtesy of Pixabay

As many of us continue to shelter in place or work from home, mental health professionals recommend keeping a schedule to lend a sense of normalcy and constancy. Here’s how I’ve painstakingly laid out my days during this extended time at home.

6am:                      Rise early to write The New Project.

6:05am:                Decide that I need to get myself in the Writing Zone.

6:10 am:               Make coffee.

6:30 am:               Down three cups of coffee.

6:32am:                Look at the ingredients of the creamer my husband bought at the             discount grocery store.

6:33 am:               Decide preservatives will keep me young.

6:40 am:               Feel that I’m now in The Zone and sit down to write.

6:42 am:               Feel too keyed up from caffeine to write.

7:00am:               Read the news.

7:30 am:               Regret reading the news.

7:45am:                Eat breakfast.

8:00am:                Help the teens with their schoolwork.

9:00am:                Realize that I have no idea what an allele is and develop a deep and abiding anger toward Mendel and anything resembling a Punnett square.

9:30am:                Tell younger teen to ask older teen for help.

9:40am:                Begin work.

10:00am:              Answer the call of “MOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!” when the volume between teen bickering reaches 85 decibels.

10:30am:              Get everyone settled and resume work.

10:45am:              Eat second breakfast.

11:00am:              Decide to check Facebook “real quick.”

12:15pm:             Make peace with the fact that everyone has a different idea of “real quick.”

12:30pm:             Eat lunch.

12:50pm:             Put work aside while waiting for feedback on a work assignment and get back to writing The New Project.

1:30pm:                Read a BuzzFeed article about various Things I Wish I’d Known Sooner and That Are Totally Game-Changing.

1:40pm:                Realize I have no actual game to change and that I’m not totally 100% sure what the game is?

2:00pm:                Contemplate starting a new hobby. Eat Second Lunch instead.

2:30:                      Try on everything in my closet.

2:45pm:                Realize that I really miss the 80s.

2:48pm:                Come to the conclusion that I would’ve made a fantastic Blossom.

3:00pm:                Help teens again with school work.

3:30-4:00pm:      Enjoy one hour of quiet while everyone does what s/he is supposed to.

4:01pm:                Festively proclaim that it’s time to take a baking break.

4:02pm:                Begin by eating 450 chocolate chips.

4:05pm:                Make brownies.

4:45pm:                Eat brownies.

4:48:                      Determine the best box wine to pair with brownies. Savor the results.

4:50-6:00pm:      Conclude work-work and school-work.

6:05pm:                Drag leftovers from freezer and try to determine origin and risk of food poisoning.

6:10pm:                Scrap leftover idea and marvel as teens create a lovely meal.

7:00pm:                Dine.

7:40pm:                Decide to watch a family movie.

7:42pm:                Try not to get pulled into argument over which movie to watch.

7:45pm:                Pout over the fact that no one in the family appreciates the comic genius that is Chevy Chase like I do.

8:00pm:                Watch a movie with lots of explosions that teen son has chosen.

9:00pm:                Wonder if eye-rolling counts as exercise.

11:00:                    Crawl into bed, exhausted by all that was done and not done.

11:01pm:             Promise myself a more productive day tomorrow.

How about you, dear friends? Are you scheduling your days? Are you spending your time differently during this sticking-close-to-home era?

60 thoughts on “My Very Busy Schedule”

  1. I love this and can relate to much of it, Kathy. Can’t get through the afternoon without a second lunch! And yes to watching the news every day knowing I will regret it. I actually managed to get into my New Project last week, but I haven’t written a thing in four days now. Fingers crossed we both find some writing mojo this weekend.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  2. Kathy, thanks for the early morning laugh as I read your “schedule”. I would be exhausted, too!

    As for me, I agree that since March, the days are blurring together in a weird way. I can’t tell the difference between a weekday and a weekend. We had our first long weekend in Canada (Victoria Day) last week but each of those 3 days seemed like another stay-at-home day with most places closed, relatively empty streets and no celebratory fireworks!

    But I am returning to a somewhat “regular” daily schedule. Reading and posting on several fun blogs (like the Chicks) is one of the first things I do before watching the morning news from 6:00 am. And now that I can go outside (yay), I am less tempted to eat/graze (or bake) all day, lol.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    2. Indeed, Grace. Last “weekend” when everyone was saying, oooh, Victoria Day Long Weekend coming up…. (no doubt out of force of habit) was when I realised I no longer have a clue what A Weekend is, let along A Long Weekend.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. WOW, your schedule makes me tired. My schedule is not as hectic, but I sometimes forget which day it is, even after I post my morning greeting. Watch morning news and then turn off around 7 to begin working from home. Sporadic check on Facebook and emails breaks up the work day. Breakfast and lunch happens amid meetings and then log off work and have to remember that I don’t have to log in on Saturday.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. I love that you’re an early riser, Dru! Just one of the many ways you inspire me!!

      The days definitely blur together for me. Although I’ve worked from home for the past five (I think?) years, without external “anchors” for my time (like kids’ activities), I find myself losing track!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  4. I totally “get” it, Kathy. And I don’t even have the distractions of kids and schoolwork to deal with! Sending (safe) cyber hugs.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  5. As someone who gave up anything resembling a schedule a month ago, I salute you in your efforts, Kathy! And now I’m off to see what streaming service Fletch is currently on. Cheers!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Fletch is one of my all-time favorite movies!! People usually look at me strangely when I tell them my favorite movies are The Godfather…and Fletch.

      PS My bestie just gave me the first book in the Fletch series! I intend to start this weekend.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  6. Love this, Kathy! My calendar is not too different, except I, alas, have no teens to cook my dinner, and much of my day is filled with Ziggy starting at me with those “take me for a walk” or “throw my ball” or “play tug-o-war with me!” eyes, and then complying.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

      1. I just learned about Puppy Chow from a ms. I was editing. Is that helpful? (Actually saw it was trending on Twitter today–whooooaaa!)

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

  7. Isn’t it amazing how social confinement can get so busy? The one thing I noticed you didn’t have that I always try to include is a nap.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  8. Working from home, so my work days don’t feel too different in some ways and very different in others. I mean, I’m wearing my sweats to work and not driving across town.

    But even with all of that, it is getting hard to keep track of the days of the week.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Every Saturday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo posts a meme that says, “Today is Saturday.” I find it very helpful. (I also use his briefings from NYC to anchor my mornings.)

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  9. LOL, Kathy! I have no idea what any of those 9 am words are. Although I’ve been working from home the last few years, Jer hasn’t, and I’ve come to realize that his schedule defined the days for me. The days he didn’t drag himself out of the house were weekends. Now? I’m lost. I spent all day Tuesday thinking it was Monday and Wednesday thinking it was Friday. And I’m more tired than I’ve ever been even thought I’m doing less. Like right now, all I want to do is get back in bed. But I’m meeting Nancy Cole Silverman for a morning walk. THEN I’ll get back in bed. What day is it again?

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. I envy your morning walks with Nancy! I’ll bet you have great conversations!!

      I’ve been doing my beloved Jazzercise online with our local instructor. It’s not the same as being with my dancing friends in person, but it does help to mix things up–and anchor my time a bit. (Mondays are Dance Mixx!)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. Kathy, I enjoyed your post while sipping my second “morning” coffee at 11:57. What does that say about my days? I’ve become a West Coaster timewise (and a late-starter PST, to boot). But I found your words very heartening. I have had the ingredients and measuring implements for a 1-bowl chocolate cake (with icing–no butter or eggs, no mixer!) on my kitchen table for 4 days, to make “later.” Umm…

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  11. That was hilarious. But oh so true at times. At least for some people. I don’t have teens and homework to worry about. Honestly, my days haven’t changed that much, though I do go out less. I’m trying to keep to my usual exercise schedule at least. But writing is going so so.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  13. I can relate. I’d have to add “race to the window every time I hear the UPS truck,” and “stare longingly out the window for something interesting to happen so I can steal it for the book I should be working on.” Both of these I learned from Nala, btw. Her book, unfortunately, was delayed due to the ‘rona.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  15. Haha! I really relate to some of these items. I’m so with you about “quickly” checking FB.

    I try to save the news for the end of the day, but that could give me nightmares. I may have to rethink this…

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I always feel like I’ve fallen into some kind of psychogenic fugue after being on Facebook for too long. “Wait, it’s Tuesday? How did THAT happen?”

      And saving the news to the end of the day is a great idea! (Except for the nightmares.) I used to say that I got all of my news from People magazine so I could keep up with Jen and the royals and such, but even that’s gotten pretty newsy!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I have had brownies, as dessert, with pinot noir. But I suppose any good red works with brownies.
        They also go very well with an eis wine or Chadds Ford Dessert Riesling (alas , no longer available.)

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  19. Your day sounds a lot like my days already were in The Time Before. Even the brownies, my go-to distraction baking. (Around 2 pm, the Dead of Day, I just HAVE to have some. And they aren’t going to bake themselves.)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  21. I must say that a common part of the day looks like this

    9pm – tell myself I am going to sleep in an hour
    10pm – tell myself I will sleep in 30 mins
    11pm – tell myself I will sleep in 10 mins
    11:30pm – tell myself I will sleep in 5 mins

    its actually hilarious (or worrying) how often this happens!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment