It's About Time...

The past month or so we have been busy.  The good kind of busy though where by the end of the day you are so exhausted you can hardly let your head hit the pillow before you're asleep and then you're up and running again the next day with an equally packed day.  The kind of busy where when you do get in bed you know you've spent all you could that day with no regrets of what you could have accomplished if you had just been motivated enough, etc. For example, here was my schedule yesterday:

6:15 am:  Wake up in Columbia, SC on our surprise anniversary trip. (Front row tickets to Prince which made all things I had to speed through to do to get ready to go out of town on a Monday night so worth it!)
7:00 am: Breakfast in hotel (why do they always only have light yogurt made with artificial sweeteners?)
7:20am: Leave SC to drop Reid off at work in Augusta
8:30am: Leave Augusta to drive to Washington; finalize orders & details for brother's wedding this weekend
8:37 am:  Stop by grocery store in Augusta for items I forgot (wishing I had brought tennis shoes instead of the cowboy boots I was wearing with yoga pants.)
10:00 am:  Arrive at kitchen in Tignall
10-2:40:  Make blue cheese green onion & grit scones; bake off Better Than's; make 4 dozen burger buns; make carrot cupcakes; pull pork & season; make sauce; wash/shred cabbage; make coleslaw; make brown butter cream cheese icing to ice cupcakes & tartlets; make blueberry filling and fill tartlets I had made Monday; make plates to send to Augusta; package treat orders; load coolers/car up.
2:40-3:40:  Drive to deliver orders to Evans, GA for Augusta Locally Grown
3:40-4:00:  Drop off orders; see friends/growers there like Pat Curry from Buonna Cafe Artisan Roasted Coffee & Tink/Carissa from Tink's Grass Fed Beef and Kim Hines, ALG market manager
4:00-5:05:  Drive back to Tignall from Evans via almost accidently going to Washington and my lack of geographical knowledge adding about 20 minutes onto my drive; meanwhile call customers and make arrangements for home meal deliveries since I was running a little late for 5pm drop off.  (So glad Washington is such a small town!)
5:05-5:18:  Moving FAST at the Tignall kitchen, get Washington orders together; make treat tray to bring to class later.
5:18-5:45:  Deliver meals (probably the most unsocial I've ever been at meal drop off time since I just left my car running!); fill up with gas
5:45-6:05: Drive home to change clothes, grab some food, update FB status & get directions.
6:05 to 6:57:  Drive back to Evans, GA for an organic gardening class;  meanwhile able to find a wedding cake stand as well as call my expert cake decorator cousin for some last minute tips.
6:57-6:59: Breathe.  Amazed I am on time for the class; all orders/meals have been delivered and I actually have makeup and jewelry on.
7:00-9:00:  Learn about organic gardening from Relinda Walker from Walker Farms; discuss plans for LocalFest at Riverwood Plantation on April 30th.  (Reid and I are doing cooking demonstrations-so fun!).
9:00-10:00 Drive back home to Washington; call Reid and tell him how long the day was without seeing him; return a couple late phone calls for orders.
10:00  HOME!!  Laid back in a chair; told Reid how wonderful he was; discussed with him the finer points of the Prince concert
10:25  Ate the best sandwich (okay, 2 of them)...on Thomas MacFie's pita bread with his lettuce and radishes; cranberry-chipotle cheddar from Happy Cow; mayo/mustard; and roast beef that Reid had fixed
10:45 Looked up Prince videos online
By 11:05 Shower, in bed
11:06 Asleep.

I used to think that "getting it all done" meant having to stay up until four, five or just not sleep at all.  I've slowly been figuring out it's better to simply start each day with a good night's sleep and then hit the ground running in the morning.  Actually following this realization pretty well is probably best time management "trick" I've ever learned. 

Then a couple months ago I was listening to this sermon on the radio that had caught my attention because it was discussing time management.  The just of the sermon was that we shouldn't be so worried about "having enough time" because if we are seeking to let God be in control of lives, then we trust that God will also provide us with the time that we need to accomplish what He has set out for us to do; basically trusting that God won't give us responsibility for something that He doesn't also give us the resources (time, money, skill, etc.) for us to take care of it.

For someone like me who does not have very good built in time management skills and a brain that goes everywhere at once, that provided a lot of comfort.  I realized I have been on a long journey of coming from piling on way too much, saying yes to way too much and being a horrible procrastinator to now piling on a lot but knowing when/what to say "no" to and breaking everything down into small tasks that I just get done without agonizing over it first.  I've finally been able to admit that a good night's sleep on a consistent basis is way more effective than pulling an all-nighter and even that preparing ahead of time, little by little, makes whatever project it is actually enjoyable as opposed to the last minute rushes.  And of course, having faith that God will give me enough time to take care of what is really important even if that may seem different than what I think is important.  (Like time to spend an evening alone with my husband even though I was sure I needed Monday afternoon/evening to prepare for orders/meals). 

I have such a long way to go in all the little "management" areas of our business (which means in my life too!) like the "financial management"; "resource management"; "human resource management"; and of course still working on "time management."

 I am sure in a few months that when we have a baby added to the mix I will look back on this time now and wonder what I did with so much leisure time!  I also know that I will probably have only a vague recollection of what a good night's sleep is.  (Or maybe my definition of one will just change from 8 hrs/night to maybe 3 hour stretches at a time!).  I do know I am actually pretty calm and just excited about the whole thing because I know God will give us what we need to take care of our little one and everything else, including the time.

Well, I better get moving.  Headed to see patients at the hospital first then a full afternoon of baking so I can be home in time to have some dinner ready...