Her Time: Multitasking Is A Myth
Today we share a day in the life of a non-profit professional who loves puns and spends her days in wild-colored Rothy’s.
Age: 39
Family: Husband and fur child
Home: Hume Springs
Education: Bachelor’s of Arts in Spanish and Political Science and Master’s of Arts in Business Administration.
Work: Non-profit
Hobbies: Yoga and working out. I also love trying new things, especially restaurants, and travel. I am a budding gardener. I love puns.
What were your time management habits growing up?
I am pretty easily distracted, so I had to make myself a schedule and routine to accomplish anything. This has become less rigid now that I am older, and I can better prioritize and manage multiple sources of stimulation at the same time.
Did you use those planners that they handed out in school?
I had a planner that I L-O-V-E-D. I tried to take this with me into college but found the lack of a block schedule made my old system ineffective. I had to learn to pivot and improvise the hard way.
What are your time management habits now?
Prioritize and focus. I don't believe that multitasking is a real thing, it's all about making choices of what is immediate and what can come next. That also means I've had to learn how long something will take me to accomplish as part of that prioritization process. And even more challenging is recognizing that some things just aren't a priority and aren't going to happen, ever.
Do you feel like you have enough time in the day to accomplish everything you’d like to do?
I've recently refocused on what is and isn't a priority in my life. This was and still is a pretty challenging process for me. There are times that I have to recognize I am making a list of things to do simply to avoid doing one thing I don't want to do! Ha! Understanding what I value (relationships and connections) has been immensely helpful to my time management skills as those tasks get prioritized.
What do you do when you feel like you don’t have enough time, or you feel like you are sacrificing your me-time to get things done for work or family?
I have the privilege to be able to outsource the things I don't want to do. His "honey-do this'' list is pretty long :). We've had to have some conversations about where our priorities lie and what we can do to respect boundaries and support one another. The pandemic also helped me (and us) understand what is important and what just doesn't matter anymore. I've stopped putting unnecessary pressure on myself for the most part.
Her Time
5:00 AM to 7:30 AM: Wait for the dog to flap her ears and demand to get up for breakfast. If I don't move around too much, I can hide under the covers and scroll on Instagram and read the news. Eventually, the ears will flap and it's time to get up, go for a walk, and make coffee.
8:00 to 9:00 AM: Sign on to work or drive into the city depending on my schedule
9:05 AM: Start obsessing about what I am going to make for dinner, or if I am going out, look at the restaurant menu.
9:00 AM to 6:00 PM: A flurry of calls, emails, zoom meetings, or in-person meetings. All while keeping the dog from going up the stairs; keeping the dog from going down the stairs to attack the mail person; wondering if I can squeeze in a yoga class or if I should text Trainer Elliott; forgetting to take anything out of the freezer to defrost for dinner; and meme bombing my friends on Instagram. Finally, sending last-minute emails that I hope funders will read before signing off for the day.
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM: "Porch" time which is strange as we don't have anything resembling a porch in front of our house, but if the weather is nice, we will sit out front with a beverage and chat up the neighbors on their way home.
7:45 PM to 8:30 PM: I am hangry and have completely forgotten any plans for dinner as I didn't take anything out of the freezer. Husband orders Uber Eats.
8:00 PM to 10:00 PM: TV time. Our favorites are "Boat Show" ie. Below Deck on Bravo. I am a big fan of The Vampire Diaries and its spin-offs when solo.
10:05 PM: Doomscroll Instagram. Yes, I have seen the "You're All Caught Up!" notification.
