No extra time

[cjsmith]

[LJ-CUT TEXT="I need to start making some responsible decisions."]

I went out with a friend to a steak place last night (thank you, shoutingboy!), and I got home late -- after my nominal bed time.

The steak was scrumptious. The company was excellent. I greatly enjoyed the break.

Of course, there are always tradeoffs. As a result of this choice I made, I didn't get the laundry put away, I didn't do the grocery run I have agreed to do before 6pm tonight, I didn't clean the litterboxes, I didn't bring the mail inside, and I didn't do the dishes. (I did bring the trash out, bring the parcel in from the porch, feed the cats, and medicate everyone including me. Late, but medication was given.) Because kitty also has the UTI again, my bathroom's gone and I had to set her up in there with a litterbox again, which further ate into my sleep time. I didn't give her extra fluids, which would have been good home care. I most certainly didn't get enough sleep!

I also get two trips to the vet today and my daily routine gets "medicate Little Girl" added twice a day. Probably fluids daily, too - ten to fifteen minutes. I still haven't done the grocery run, which means leaving work earlier than usual, and I was later than usual to arrive at work because of Trip To Vet 1.

I need to realize that until and unless I get a lot more efficient with general life stuff, I cannot do things like that. Healthy people go out to dinner with friends. I cannot, not right now. With the sleep problems, the size of my daily routine, and cats who get sick(er) at the drop of a hat, I simply don't have the spare time.[/LJ-CUT]

Sometimes I don't like being a grownup. But I like to think that when being a grownup is the best thing to do, I'll do it.

Comments

Serious question, but it might sound snarky

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

Why do you stress about the little stuff? All of that can wait another day. Hell, laundry can live in baskets until you wear it if it makes life easier. Yeah yeah yeah it has to get done. I know. But it doesn't have to get right now. (Ok, feeding the cats does because they will eat your face in your sleep if they are hungry enough.)

But seriously, it's all little stuff that doesn't have to get done right now. Breathe. Make sure to set aside time for just you.

Re: Serious question, but it might sound snarky

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Welll, laundry that's clean can wait, at least until I need to wear some of it and it's so tightly wrinkled it can stand up on its own. Laundry that's not clean can't wait, not if I need socks! Similar thing with dishes. I don't have extras of pots and pans or of tubs to store stuff in. (I've got loads of plates, considering Rob almost never uses any. Nine is loads. But every time I use a pot I better wash it.)

I think the bigger question is that if I can't do this stuff on a weeknight, then I can't do it on the next weeknight either, or the next. I have to schedule a lot better. If I can't do laundry tonight, and tonight's a Monday, then I better do something drastic if I want socks for Thursday or Friday.

Drastic might only mean coming in to work a bit late. I did that this morning, giving myself time to put the pot roast into food-unit-sized storage thingies, and it's great to know that's done.

Re: Serious question, but it might sound snarky

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

Oh, I own entirely too many clothes. I never get rid of anything.

You will need to invest in more socks, and lots and lots of ziploc bags for foodstuffs!

Re: Serious question, but it might sound snarky

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

More socks (and more undies!) would be smart. I actually found socks that fit, but of course they stopped making them. Next time I see any I will definitely buy out the store.

Ziploc bags are something I need to learn to use more. Because they're flexible, they can pack down into a lot less fridge space than rigid containers use. I feel so wasteful pitching them, though.

Re: Serious question, but it might sound snarky

[moriamerri.livejournal.com]

I own very large amounts of socks and undies. (In my case it is because I don't like to do laundry, and have planned my strategy for doing lots at once but very infrequently.) (Not being able to find good socks to buy makes this rather less helpful however.....) Socks and underwear can also be hand washed in a a sink, at least enough for the week. While this would logically "not save time", sometimes it does work out to buy time till there is a bigger chunk of time to "really" wash clothes.

I wonder about your thought that "if I can't do it Monday night..." -- I wonder if it is true. I know it seems logical and all, but I think my unpredictable energy level means that (for me) one weeknight is not as much like another as it might appear. Also, you probably won't go out every night, so maybe last night is not a good benchmark of what can be accomplished on a weeknight. (I'm not sure if it was the benchmark in the example above or not.) None of which means that the Undone Stuff is not a concern.

Re: Serious question, but it might sound snarky

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Things that "don't save time" are often really useful for borrowing time. There's always a payback, but sometimes the stopgap measure is the best option.

My energy level doesn't seem to be all that varied, unless I do something like get too little sleep, but there might be some variation in my work hours. (Yesterday I went home early because I'd finished a big task.)

Re: Serious question, but it might sound snarky

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

Unless it's meat I wash ziplocs and reuse them. Or you could get the ziploc containers. Those last a long time.