As you may recall the Japanese word for friend is Tomodachi. Here is another post from my friend in Japan:

So, I am in Japan.  It’s beautiful and the people are wonderful; but man is it far from home!  Nothing made me realize this more than when my mother-in-law called last week to tell us she had cancer and would be starting chemo.  I am fortunate in that I have the flexibility to go back and be with her during her treatment.  However, that meant packing up, tying up loose ends and finding a place for the cat… NOW!  We do not have children, so I thankfully I did not have to find a place for the kids.  I realize that this is one of the reasons I have flexibility in my life.
Now, I am a fairly organized person (OK, it borders on OCD at times) and I am amazed at how many lose ends needed tying this week!  So, I pose the question… Are you ready to leave in a moments notice if necessary?  Most of us probably think so, but if you were to examine what actually needs to happen you might be surprised!  Everyone’s situation is different, so here is what needed to happen this week for me and how my life could have been simplified.

1. Find a place for the cat.  I had never been to the local pet kennel or vet.  Had I done so when we arrived here I would have saved myself at least an hour.  By filling out some paperwork for emergency contacts Mr. Milo (the cat) is now able to stay at the kennel and all his medical records are up to date.
2. Get a flight.  I needed my passport, visa info, and emergency cash.  Fortunately I had this.
3. Put utilities and mail on hold.  This takes a long time (especially when the person on the other end only speaks Japanese).  I did however save time because I had already prepared a list of all our utility companies and phone numbers.  I did not have to search thru stacks of papers or file folders for the information I needed.  For a US address you can visit www.usps.com to put your mail on a temporary or permanent address change.
4. Pack… lets not go there.  You can read my previous blog if you want to know what I think about packing!
http://harmonyatlast.com/blog/2009/01/07/packing-for-a-long-trip
5. Notify work, social groups, and all other obligations that I will be away.  Where necessary, find replacements.  And don’t forget to cancel/reschedule dentist or Dr. appointments!
6. Find someone to watch the house, clean house, make sure all trash is taken out, lock all windows and doors, charge cell phone, charge iPod (should already be done!), copy important docs for work from desktop to laptop, get a Power of Attorney where necessary, refill prescriptions, and a million other random tasks!

Now, I have left out a lot of the details but you get the idea.  I hope that in sharing my experience you will take a moment to evaluate your preparedness.  I promise there are a few things you could do now that would make your life easier should something come up unexpectedly!

Whether you answer yes or no, check out this video!  It’s bound to brighten your day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP2SXfdJs5w

“Are These Three Words Ruining Your Life?” Jonathan Mead, a contributor to the Zen Habits blog, asks that very question in a post earlier this week.  It is an insightful article; please take a few minutes to check it out!  http://zenhabits.net/2009/04/are-these-three-words-ruining-your-life/

Do you find that you get easily distracted when trying to complete a task?  You are not alone.  One main reason people tend to get off track when trying to complete a task is because they are treating it just as that… a task.  When we do not find importance or urgency in a task, we tend to get distracted with doing other, more interesting things, (like watching YouTube videos). Everyone has to do things we don’t find desirable or interesting.  Regardless of how we feel about certain projects we still need to find a way to be productive. 

The first step to productively using your time is to clarify what your goal is for the day, hour, or project.  If your goal is to complete a project, how many hours will you plan to work on it?  When you are deciding this, be realistic.  Will you lose interest after 2 hours?  If so, plan to take a break and do something different for a little while.  This could be a short walk, lunch, or working on a separate task. When you come back to the project, you will have more energy. 

Second, make a list.  Having a list of tasks to complete will keep you on track.  Go even further by splitting your list into urgent and important tasks.  Everything you need to get done will be important, but some will be urgent.  If you determine what those tasks are, you will be sure to get them done first.  Crossing completed tasks off your list will allow you to see your progress and help you feel like you are getting closer to completing your goal.  

It’s easy to get lost in the piles of “to do’s” we have for work, home, and family.  Keeping a running list can help you stay focused on what you are doing but also allow you to move right to the next thing after you have completed each task.

“Parents spend an average of 23 percent of their free time outside of work scheduling and coordinating their children’s and family’s schedules.”

Center’d, . Center’d Eases Back-to-School Stress for Parents and Helps Schools Take Advantage of the Internet with New Time-Saving Group Planning Tools. Internal Report 08/20/2008
Statistic by/from Harris Interactive Online Survey of 2010 US Adults, August 2008
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters/clientnews/2008_centerd.pdf

What about you?  How much of your “free time” is consumed by planning or managing your children’s, spouses, friends, or boss’ extra curricular activities? I know people who would fit into the 23% stated in the article, but I also know people who could make a career out of taking care of others schedules.  These people spend so much time planning things for others they quite often have little time left for themselves. For those of you who have multiple schedules to keep track of, Centerd.com has created some great new tools to keep things organized.  Take a few minutes to read the article (link above) and check out their website.  It is likely to save you time and frustration.