Thursday, March 17, 2011

Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium: Schedules

I have recently been invited to join the "Loose Bloggers Consortium" conversation. Each week the topic to discuss is decided by one of the group of bloggers, then everyone writes about that same topic. This is typically done on Friday, but I will be many thousand feet in the air on Friday on my way to mainland China, so decided to write it today. You can visit the following members' blogs to read their take on the issue: Ashkok, gaelikaa, Grannymar, Conrad, Padmum, and Rummuser.

Today's topic of schedules is timely since I am on a tight one at the moment. So much to do, and so little time to do it before I leave. And here I sit blogging....

I've never been very good at setting schedules for the day. I have friends who carefully schedule their days, and follow it strictly. One of the girls in my seminary class got a roll of adding machine paper and wrote a schedule for every minute of her day. I guess that worked okay, because she could roll, and unroll it as the day went on. But personally, I have never wanted to be bound to a strict schedule. I think my personality is a bit too pragmatic and laid back to be bound to a schedule. I like to live more flexibly, and be adaptable to whichever way the wind blows. Conversely, I do like to have a "to-do" list because I think I get so much more done.

One time our family went with my in-laws to a theme park for the day. At one point, my husband and the older kids got separated from us. My mother in law was really worried about meeting back up with them. She went to the plaza by the front gate so that in case they came back looking for us, she would be able to meet up with them. I kept wondering to myself what my husband was doing. It occurred to me that he and the children were probably having a great time, and that he would expect the same of us! So I took my youngest child to enjoy different things in the park. After every ride/show, I would return to the plaza to check in with my inlaws. At the end of the day, my family and I had enjoyed a fun day together. My in-laws, bound by some unseen schedule, had sat in the hot sun, worrying. From that day forward, I determined that being flexible does pay off more than a rigid schedule.

8 comments:

Grannymar said...

Welcome to our group, may you have many years of happy blogging with us.

I hope all your flights go to schedule and you have a safe journey.

We do have another member Conrad, in case other visitors wish to check him out. He is the guy who came up with the idea of the LBC. ;)

Delirious said...

Eep! Thanks Grannymar, I forgot to put Conrad's name! I counted wrong. lol

Grannymar said...

No pr4oblems. I mentioned it so that your followers can reach all of us crazy people! :)

padmum said...

Hi

I too have joined this group today. Grannymar and Conrad have been friends while Rummy put me in touch with the group. He is my oldest brother!!

I enjoyed your day out too.
my blog is on www.padmininatarajan.blogspot.com

Have a safe flight.

Rummuser said...

Great way to start off Delirious. Typically of our group, Conrad and Grannymar sneaked behind my back and have roped in Padmum. Be prepared for such shenanigans from members of the group.

Have a great time in China.

Inklings said...

I think we all need to cultivate the talent of being flexible, schedules or not.
One of the nicest compliments I ever received came to me secondhand. Someone told me that a friend had said of me, "She knows how to roll with the punches." :0)

Conrad said...

Beautiful start, Delirious! You are VERY welcome in this group and you should find it to be a lot of fun.

Reading your post, you may be one of those people with enough internal structure that you don't need that scheduling that other require. Hmmm... that makes me think of the external schedules as kind of an exoskeleton!! LOL

Maria said...

You did absolutely the right thing.