Perhaps it’s just me, but I’m finding that time seems to be moving in strange ways these days.
The gorgeous child is back at school and so I have five glorious hours to myself each day to work, far more than I did over the six weeks of summer holidays. More than enough, you would think, to take care of the house and admin and various clothes people need. To clean and plan meals and keep the place tidy. To finish my No Quarter edit and publish, as well as delivering daily blog content for my current client.
I had grand plans, you see. Plans to use my time wisely, to eke out those five hours like someone squeezing pennies from their purse, each minute carefully guarded and used as required. I was going to start meditating regularly again, instead of the few snatched sessions here and there when I had ten minutes to myself. It was going to be fantastic.
And it all started so well last Thursday. I woke early, was ready and had all in place for the child when she awoke, both of us out the door in plenty of time to get to school. When I came back home I was on track. I got through my chores and writing in what felt like a fairly good use of time, going to pick her up with a heart content from having achieved a good day’s work.
Friday was still good, though I started to have a nagging suspicion that someone, somewhere, had sped time up slightly. Midday seemed to arrive a little earlier than I expected, as did school pick-up. But I shook it off and pressed on, still convinced that all was well.
Then Monday hit. And for some reason time escaped me completely. My day ran off the rails and, even though everyone else got to where they needed to be at the right time, I ended up doing the ironing at 9:30pm, which was when I should have been on the couch watching FriendsFest (and oh, I am laughing my head off at the Friends reruns – a guilty pleasure).
And here I am on Tuesday, the day nearly half over. I feel as though I may have a better handle on time today, though I’m still running a little behind. So I would like to ask whoever it is that manages these things, if they can just slow things down slightly. Bring them back to normal, if they don’t mind.
Or, maybe it is just me, after all. 🙂
Helen Glynn Jones 
And they sit in their offices and say ‘what did you do today’ and you can only place 20 minutes of coherent activity out of 9 hours and they’re all smug. But analyse their time and it’s checking mails and talking about Friends and making coffee and waiting for IT or that person who has to call back before they can get on, or redoing the note that Word ate or thinking about their appraisal and then they say ‘ I was in a meeting for four hours’ but they doodled for three hours twenty, had two comfort breaks and spoke for an aggregate of ten minutes…. Life huh? Can’t live with it, can’t live without it.
LOL So true – sounds like when I used to work in advertising – spend the day having a meeting to decide what we’re going to do that day 😀
I know. Such a cop out.
Would leave a comment…must dash…
Ha ha, excellent! 🙂
Not just you, Helen… I am up at five every morning and still end up working till stupid o’clock as the day left me behind somewhere… 😉
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Glad it’s not just me, but sorry to hear it as well 🙂
I’m just glad I love my work 😉
Yes, me too – it is the thing that keeps me going, even with the time thieves 🙂
Trouble is, they end up stealing decades too 😉
Nope! Its definitely not just you! I’m achieving far less than I expected too. Its a fact… those time thieves are getting greedy!
They are! As I said to Sue, glad to hear I’m not the only one, yet sorry to hear it too. And I’m thinking a little more about the dream post – just need time to write it… 🙂
I shall look forward to it, as I do all your posts, Helen! 😊
Thanks Ali xx
Same thing is happening to me, too! I haven’t even started on productivity and it will be noon in an hour… Time is feeling out of control. And I don’t even have children! 🙂
Hmm, the case of the September time thieves? Funny how it seems to be happening to everyone – something’s going on 🙂