3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys for Syncing Schedules

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

My husband took last Friday off. While it seems that a three-day weekend in the summer would be a great thing (and it was for him), it's only a great thing all around if everyone is off. What he saw as a spur-of-the-moment vacation day ("Let's do stuff!") I saw as an obstacle to my productivity ("I already have stuff to do!")

Did I mention that I work from home?

Last minute decisions challenge me, even when there's fun involved. On the one hand, I admire the spontaneity and feel as though I should (oops -- there's that word again) be better at rolling with it. On the other hand, when I've laid out my work assuming a five-day week, fun, spontaneous and "rolling with it" are nowhere to be found. When one part of me says, "lighten up!" while the other part of me says, "you have deadlines!" it can be challenging to satisfy both sides.

As with many other aspects of organizing and time management, I'm a work-in-progress when situations like these arise. Here are three keys I'm trying in an effort to satisfy all of me.

Show myself some respect. I feel guilty being unenthusiastic when my husband announces a day off with little prior notice, especially when I respond with precisely the amount of enthusiasm I feel. But -- and I mean this without malice -- why should I feel guilty that I'm not enthusiastic about all of my plans being tossed into the air? Still, while it's natural to feel frustrated when my best-laid plans get sidetracked, I can change the way I respond. I can acknowledge that the day off is a great thing for him, while also explaining that I have plans I might not be able -- or willing -- to change.

Accept the things I cannot change -- and not just the things on my list. If my husband is going to be home, my day is going to look different. There will be noise where there is usually quiet. My freedom to work in places besides my office may be curtailed. I might have to settle for accomplishing less than I'd hoped to. From a practical perspective, anything that has a deadline may be immovable, rendering me truly unavailable for part -- or all -- of the day. Determining what is truly non-negotiable is the first step to letting go of the shoulds and the guilt and figuring out where flexibility fits in.

Have the courage to change the things I can. Discretionary items, on the other hand, are not immovable. Unlike deadlines, which need to stay on the list, things I wanted to do (or was looking forward to doing) fit into the category of things I can change -- if I choose to. While separating the "must do" items from the "want to do" items takes me a step closer to satisfying the side of me that says, "lighten up," it's only a first step. Whether or not I actually want to replace those things with other things is another discussion.

Are you thinking that this seems like an awful lot of thinking for a day off? Yeah. Me too. But what's at stake here is more than just a deadline or a to-do list. It's about priorities. When a family member is suddenly available for a day off on a weekday, finding the want to do/must do balance impacts more than to-do lists; it impacts relationships.

Which is exactly what makes this whole thing so complicated in the first place.

How about you? What do you do when your schedule comes undone? Is it as simple as ditching the list and seizing the day?