Arranging the Pieces of My Life...with Lupus

Living a full life is hard work. Living a full life with a chronic illness is harder work. At any moment, I can have a flare and my body (and mind) can shut down. For the past couple of years, I've worked two to three jobs at a time...while sharing a car with my husband in a town where public transportation is not practical. And lupus adds a special sprinkling downpour of complicated to my life. I love what I do. My body doesn't. When I make a commitment, I don't know what kind of obstacles or surprises I will have. And I always have them. Last fall, I had surgery. In the spring, I got very sick (being surrounded by high schoolers does not bode well when you're taking immunosuppresives during flu season). So how do I stay on top of my life when so many people are depending on me but my body is so unpredictable?

I am a time organizing queen. That's right. I'm a queen. Or maybe not. I forget.

I organize like crazy. I view every item on my to-do list, every responsibility, and every appointment as a puzzle piece. My life has a lot of pieces. Too many pieces. And the pieces don't arrange themselves. They must be arranged deliberately. So how can you arrange the pieces of your life? Here's how to start:

Before the week begins, decide and write down what you want to accomplish by the end of the week. This means you have to know what your priorities are and what's most important to you. If you aren't sure, there are a lot of wonderful resources out there. Maybe I can blog about it. But that's not on my list of priorities this week, so I'll save it for another time. (See what I did there?)

Next, using your planner/calendar, decide when the best times to accomplish those tasks are. If you're doing this on paper, use pencil because you may have to rearrange later. Feel free to rearrange as the week progresses. Some days and weeks are harder than others, so give yourself a lot of grace. If you have to rearrange again and again because your body is struggling or life got complicated, that's ok. You'll probably still accomplish more than if you didn't plan at all. Something is better far better than nothing!

When possible, try to group "puzzle pieces" according to categories for productivity. If you have multiple tasks that require you to drive to a certain part of town, plan to do those things in one day so that you're not making multiple trips. If you have multiple tasks that require use of your computer, try to accomplish as many of those tasks as possible in one sitting. When you have limited time and energy, the key is to figure out a way to work as efficiently as possible. 

Don't evenly distribute tasks throughout the week. Put a heavier load in the beginning of the week so that you have more room to work with later when unexpected things come up throughout the week. Procrastination is one of my worst enemies. If something is truly important to me, procrastination can steal it from me. So I don't usually push things back unless I have a really good reason like I'm in the hospital or my arms won't move. It happens. It happened.

Leave time later on for make up work. If that time ends up being open, you can get extra rest (Yay!) or get ahead on work for the next week.

Don't budget time minute-by-minute. 
Budget time according to segments in the day.
     Examples:
     morning, afternoon, evening
     before classes, after classes, after work
This is for tasks (such as doing the dishes or working on a project), not appointments or events (which have a set start time or schedule). I used to organize my time minute-by-minute, but it was impossible to maintain, the rigidity made me feel pressured, and I ended each day feeling inadequate. On the other hand, when I think in terms of segments in the day, it's easier for me to wrap my head around all that needs to be done and I can be more flexible for whatever life may throw at me.

Budget time for rest. You will be more productive, efficient, and creative when you are well-rested. I know my body well enough to know that when I fill up an entire week with activity, I will be unable to work the next. So I actually write "Rest" in my calendar. Each week, I make sure I have at least one chunk of time dedicated to rest. And if someone asks me to do something during that time, I say, "I'm sorry. This is the only time this week I can rest. And if I don't, I won't be able to work next week. Is there another time or day that will work?" You don't even have to tell people that you're resting. You can simply say, "I already have something scheduled at that time."

May all your puzzle pieces fit a little better and may your life be a little fuller!