{Just reading back on my life before Joe and Egger arrived. I had been so scared to hire anyone to help, for so long because of cost. But actually it was a false economy, I was working non-stop and getting NOTHING done to forward our business.}

High Speed Trains Crash Faster

The main problem is there are not ten of me – I am full time mother, chef, manager, accountant, landscaper, cleaner, launderer, graphic designer, and marketing department all rolled into one neat (or actually a bit flabby and scruffy) package.

At any one time in the day I am doing one task for one of my roles, and simultaneously thinking about all the tasks that desperately need doing for all the other roles. The result is that I am effective at nothing, inadequately efficient, and thorough rarely. I am also usually moving a warp speed and am a danger to myself and others, case in point the kettle incident yesterday.

Today the day began with the kitchen flooding due to my not putting the pipe for the washing machine out into the drain. Because I was busy feeding and changing the baby while simultaneously hanging the laundry I didn’t notice this until it had gone through its whole cycle.

Result: entire kitchen under three inches of water, me with the baby on one hip, squeegee thing in one hand trying to swoosh water out the door while talking into the phone jammed between my ear and my shoulder about something else entirely. This is not an unusual scenario in this madhouse. Clear Sky will probably grow up thinking that’s how you wash a kitchen floor in fact.

Later on when the baby went to sleep I leapt into action with the aim of completing at least ten tasks during her short nap. First on the list was finishing painting the large banners to advertise our monthly full moon lunacy party next week. Ro had already made a start on the lettering so all I had to do was fill in with blue and orange paints. This I did in record time, brilliant, all good to go, then I picked up the first banner to discover I had painted through onto the floor of the restaurant and the banner was still wet on both sides.

This meant that maneuvering it was a bit tricky but needless to say I didn’t really have time to wait for it to dry. I think the moment when I became wrapped in five metres of cotton and wet paint, which I then had to wrestle with to free myself, daubing pretty much my only paint free clothes in orange paint at the same time, was about the same moment I realized that maybe my step mum was right my time management is poor.

Shrimp came over to see what all the kerfuffle was about and as usual looked at me in exasperation for rushing another job and creating more work by doing so. What winds me up is that he, the master of patience and carefulness seems to think that I rush everything by choice or personal preference.

In my defense my time management skills are poor because there isn’t enough time to go around, or enough of me, or enough resources to buy another me. I am making it my goal to work on delegating effectively this month, and also organizing in advance to reduce my rushing. Will let you know how it goes.

Related posts:

1. Fraternisation with Refrigeration