Getting sidetracked…

Have you ever had one of those days where you nearly break your arm from attempting to pat yourself on the back?

I will share that last night was one of those times for me. I ended the weekend with a clean house, a clear desk, a TO DO list compiled, lunches made and Monday dinner planned. WOW, I'm good!

And then…what is it that they say about best made plans?
I began my day right on schedule at 6:20am setting out on my 40 minute walk - 10 minutes into the walk, the downpour began. OK - so much for physical fitness - I'll go home and get an early start on my Bible study. Strike ONE.

My sweet husband, however, apparently hadn't read my schedule and was completely frazzled looking for some paperwork that he needed so that his day would go as planned (he says it's my filing system that is to blame). Strike TWO; so much for my morning quiet time.
Stay calm - the paperwork location continues to be a mystery and now it is 9am and he has to leave. I have already lost one hour of my designated tip writing time (8am-11am), but - no problem…I'll just boot up the old laptop and get cracking.

OF COURSE - I can't get my internet to connect on my laptop. DRAT! Alright, this should be an easy fix with all these swell built in Connectivity Wizards. (Don't you LOVE when you know just enough about your computer to be really, really dangerous?). What's that? My clock chiming - 10am??!!!! WHAT THE HECK??? No internet, no tips, no quiet time, no exercise…AUGHHHH#)**%($*#$*!!!!!!!! STRIKE THREE!

WHERE DID THE TIME GO AND HOW COULD I HAVE GOTTEN SOOOOOO SIDETRACKED????!!!!

What's the take away this morning?
1. Working from home can be distracting-duh.

2. Do your best to WRITE DOWN your plans for the day - having a list enables you to `tweak' as needed and still accomplish something.

3. Be aware of and do your best to be in control when beginning a journey down a rabbit trail. Ask yourself - Is this the best use of my time right now -or- can this wait until later? When dealing with something that is lost - is this absolutely positively something I MUST find right now? (ie; The only set of car keys, YES, paperwork - in our case - can be replaced at a later date, not ideal but possible.)

4. Life happens - just go for Plan “B”. Celebrate what you DO accomplish today and add the leftovers to tomorrow's list. (Hey, at least dinner's in the crock pot-food is good!)

5. Computers and the internet can be MAJOR time wasters! Factor time to clear email into your daily `to-do's' but do not exceed the allotted time. If you are having computer problems DO NOT spend hours trying to resolve them unless absolutely necessary. Move on to your next `to-do', grab the next teenager who crosses your path and he will probably be able to fix what ever is ailing your PC in no time whatsoever (yes, this is a personal testimony - my son fixed my laptop in just under 30 seconds.)