Oh my, Oh my, Oh my!!! It’s THE week. I’m a bundle of nerves, I’m excited, I’m… I’m… NOT READY!

Crud! How did this week sneak up on my so fast, tell me that?

Anyway, the next two days will be FILLED with last minute preparations. Let me give you a brief look at my schedule.

  • Monday: Blog in A.M. Work 7:30 – 4:30 (Lunch spent with hubby at Target purchasing last minute needs) Karalynn at g.s. 4:30 – 6, Dinner, maybe an hour to do trip stuff, 8:00 get kids ready for bed, then TRY to do more trip stuff but I REALLY need to go to bed on time
  • Tuesday: Work 7:30 – 4:30 (Lunch spent making my toes look pretty… aka pedicure! yeah!) In-laws get in that afternoon, drama club from 7:00-9:00 (takes 20 min to get there and get home on top of that)
  • Wednesday: Work 6:00 – 1:00 (no lunch) plane leaves at 3:20!

Um… can you tell that there is NO ROOM ANYWHERE for much of any packing/printing/pullingoutmyhair… Also note that I’ll have to get up at a very unGodly time of the morning on Wednesday to get to work on time.

And…. here’s my list of TO DO’S:

  • Pack: I have a few things in my suitcase but um, yeah, still have a ton to do on this.
  • Onesheets: My onesheets are still not printed. Scott and I took a while yesterday afternoon to take pics of me in the back yard to try to get a better “picture” to put on them… but now I have to SELECT the picture and take the time to print them.
  • Proposal: Not a half to have, but I like to take one copy of my proposal with me, which means I need to spiffy it up and print it.
  • Pitch: I’ve procrastinated. I have a few things jotted down, but I’m still flipping out over the “pitch”. This may happen on the plane.
  • Maps: Scott and I are staying over for three days, and I really wanted to print out different maps to the places we wanted to go.
  • Prepare for in-laws: My house still needs cleaned (hoping hubby helps me with this one during the day….) and I still need to write out “things they need to know” for while we are gone.
  • Sample Chapters: Highly recommend this. At least one of the agents I met with last year wanted to see a “writing” sample. So need to print off first chapter (or first three chapters) of the two books I’m most interested in pitching.

This isn’t all inclusive, as I have fifteen thousand other things running through my head.

BUT! My point is, there is LITTLE time and MUCH to do. Those of you who are ready, ugh, I hate you. (not really… but it’s your fault if I commit the sin of envy!)

So, at last, my tips for squeezing as much out of a day as possible:

  • Make a list, and check it twice. If you spend your time thinking about everything you have to do and trying to remember it… well, you’ve wasted time. I’m a huge LAST minute list maker. It helps control my wayward mind.
  • Use every second. Notice I have “tasks” during my hour lunch breaks. I also figure I can do ONE thing before I leave in the mornings. My Internet time will be much diminished the next few days.
  • Delegate! Lacy folded laundry last night. Kids can clean. Hubby can clean and do laundry. Use your resources!
  • Deep Breathes. Breath in through your nose, and you through your mouth. Slow, this isn’t Lamaze people! Seriously, helps clear your head and makes you think more clearly.

Discussion: How’s everyone doing on their prep? Anyone have tips on how to cram too much stuff into too little time? (I’m also saving time by not reading through this for grammar/punctuation/spelling errors. Forgive me if it looks sloppy kay?)

author-sign

11 Comments

  1. MULTITASK!! Sorry, that's all I've got as a suggestion and I'm going to be using it myself. No need to be envious of me, I'm not ready either!!!

    But hey, once we're there, we'll all breath easier for about a second until the learning starts to overwhelm us some more!! I'm designating next week for rest and restoration!!

  2. You can do it, Krista! I hope you're able to get everything done, but that the beginning of this week will fly by for you so that you can be at the conference having fun!

  3. My strategy? Lists, lists, and more lists.

    I tried to be ready by the end of last week so I could spend these last couple days praying and resting up. Didn't happen like I thought (doing the printing stuff today) and then the part-time job kicked back in. So, I've got to add about 12 hours of other-type work into three days.

    Good news? Last night, I typed up the instructions for my mom for while I'm gone. My husband was rolling his eyes and laughing. But, if he was in charge, he'd be calling every few minutes with questions. (Um, he's not in charge only because it's football season and he can't take time off to handle the Mom duties. Not because he doesn't want to. I think.)

    Krista, you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. And wisdom. And sanity. See you in Denver!

  4. I'll be working on my pitch on the plane as well! Tomorrow is full of foster care meetings and doctor trips, so I basically need to pretend I'm leaving tomorrow morning and get the suitcase packed today.

    But I need to do laundry first …
    🙂

  5. I have to agree with Eileen. Multitask is the second name for a mom after all. I can't wait to hear all the good things your going to learn and experience!!!! I so wish I was going too. But alas my prayers are going with you. I've ben faithfully lifting my blogging buddies to the Lord and I cannot wait for my prayers to get answered in a big way!

  6. Good luck and have a wonderful, wonderful time at conference!

  7. Deep breath, Krista. You're going to be fine, everything will be ready on time and you're going to get there with everything you need.

    See you in three days!

  8. Oh, man, you just gave me ideas of a whole bunch of other stuff I really should do to get ready! Like, make a list for my hubby while I'm gone! I was thinking of making a couple of meals for him to use to feed the kids, but don't you think it would be fun for him to take the kids out to eat a few times?! 🙂 No seriously, I'll probably be doing most of my to-do list on Wed.–hopefully not Wed. night! But right now I'm dealing with one of my DD's having a serious case of flu or food poisoning or something, so please pray that I don't catch it!

  9. I had on my green-eyed-monster pants, but after reading this post, I quickly took them off and pulled on my lazy pants. So don't mind me…I'm just laying on the couch, being lazy with all the time in the world. The rain is falling gently against the window and I have a pot of chili simmering on the stove. I'm thinking about all of you wonderful cyber friends who get to go and I know you all will have a fabulous time! Learn alot, take pictures and be ready to share when you get back. I expect at least one really hilarious story from you! 🙂

  10. You are one busy bee! It'll get done, Krista! I can't wait to meet you in a couple days! So excited to put voices/faces to blogging personalities!!

    I've got to pack. But that's about it. I did a lot of running this weekend and printing. 🙂

  11. I'm lucky I don't have to fly in for the my conference. That should save me some time. Other than that, prioritize. You can forget to bring your toothbrush (because your hotel probably has one), but you can't forget your business cards or your one-sheets. I'm looking forward to hearing about how your conference goes. Have fun.

Comments are closed.