January 18, 2012

Keeping Busy

At about 11 o'clock this morning I suddenly thought, "Oof! Its Wednesday and I didn't do my blog." I quickly thought about why I would have forgotten something that is important to me, and I quickly remembered that I had been on the phone almost continuously since 9 o'clock Monday morning.

My friend's husband owns a small business that is growing pretty quickly. My friend asked if I could help out by answering the phone a few days a week. I agreed because I could do it from home and, how hard can it be to answer the phone? Well. Let me tell you. It is very hard to answer the phone for this "small" business. I answered the phone in a dental office for years with no problem, but I'm a registered dental assistant with years of experience. I actually knew what I was talking about. It hadn't occurred to me when I agreed to help that I have zero experience in this field. So, on Monday my friend sat with me and stuffed my head full of prices and services in between phone calls. When she answered the phone it seemed effortless. When I answered my head would start spinning.

Monday night I had a dream that I designed a computer program that would make the scheduling easier, but I couldn't get it to work because all of the customers still lived inside the phone. It was not a restful night. Tuesday I was on my own with the phone and I barely managed to eat and take a shower. I wasn't sure I had made a good decision. I didn't want a full time job, I just wanted to help a friend while going about my normal activities.
Today, something strange happened. You all know by now that I am not the best time manager or housekeeper. I can never seem to get everything done and I often feel overwhelmed by everything that goes into keeping house. What I found out today is that I just didn't have enough stuff to do. Granted, I did forget my blog this morning, but my kitchen is cleaner than it has been in months (including the floor), I did a load of laundry, I tackled a huge pile of mail (keep the checks, throw away the bills!), AND my dinner casserole is prepared and waiting in the fridge. All this happened between phone calls and before noon. Wash a couple of dishes, answer the phone. Finish the dishes, sweep the floor, answer the phone.
I think when I have all day to complete a task, I can find twenty things I would rather do first (video games). Next thing I know, the day is gone. Today I worked in short bursts. Doing the dishes alone would not have made much of a difference, but I stayed focused so that I could complete another task before the phone rang again. My plan for tomorrow: set up the phone in the living room. I haven't gotten around to dusting behind the television in a while, and there is a colony of Storm Troopers under the couch that needs to be exterminated.

1 comment:

  1. I always work better when I have deadlines. If I have all day or week to do something, it doesn't get done until the last minute if at all. I think you've stumbled upon a secret -- short bursts of work and keeping focused. Love your sense of humor too.

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