Chapter 9: I'm Too Busy To Make A List Of All The Things On My "To Do" List
“Once upon a time” is how fairy tales begin, but once upon a time in Red’s life, she had lots of things to do, but was able to fit everything into any given day. And her worst-case scenario? Something might slide, but it would still get done in a timely fashion. But when her husband got fired, her fairy-tale life ended, and she had to take on more day-to-day responsibilities, which meant Red soon began to run out of hours in the day, the week, the month. Luckily, Black’s advice about how to manage her time, though not an obvious “approach” until it was explained to her, made a huge difference.
P.S. – If Red thought she was busy when her husband got fired, she had no idea what busy was until years later, when she had to juggle being a single mom with being the warm and fuzzy half of Red & Black. Struggling with way too much to do and way too little time to do it in, and often feeling like she was getting nowhere fast. (Ever feel like this?) Black would describe it as “spinning your wheels,” and then suggest that Red reread this excerpt …
| I do have one question. What exactly did you mean by time management? I understand there's a limited amount of time in the day, but unless I give up sleeping altogether, I'm not sure how to find time to do everything on my lists. I'm already getting up at 5:00 a.m. (and this morning even earlier!) so that I have some quiet time before I start the "mom" thing. Any suggestions? And just this once, skip the smart-ass comments! |
| If I could tell you how to create more time in your day, I could make a fortune. There are countless books on time management, but I doubt you will find the time to read one, so I will tell you what works best for me. |
| Type faster. What's the secret? |
| There is no secret. The best you can hope for is to balance the demands of your "To Do" lists against the reality of how much time you have. |
| Great. Another "clear as mud" comment. |
| Not really. More like another "statement of the obvious" comment. First, I look at my calendar to see where I have appointments or "non-negotiable" demands on my time. This allows me to visualize where I have open blocks of time. I then review my high-priority tasks to determine what absolutely has to happen —whether on a specific day or sometime in the immediate future — and I get that planned. At that point, I have a pretty good feel for how much unclaimed time there is for me to try to tackle other things on my lists. |
| Makes sense. In the past, I best-guessed different tasks for different days, often just randomly assigning them. I definitely didn't plan my time, but that might have been because I didn't have as much that needed to get done. It sounds like I need to start thinking about what I have to do in light of what each day holds. Or at least as best as I can predict it. |
Chapter 15: I Need A Warning System
Typically, when Red asked Black questions, she received questions in return. Or flippant comments. When Red asked her about charity, and specifically Make-A-Wish, she got straight answers, and that alone got Red’s attention. Before this conversation, Red thought her sister’s involvement with Make-A-Wish was very generous, both of her time and her money, but attributed much of it to the fact that she had surpluses of both in her life. But once Black made her realize that her involvement went back to her corporate life, years when she might have had spare money but was working ridiculous hours, Red gained a new respect for Black’s commitment. But when Black said how it had become her “reality check” on life, Red began to understand that we all need something to help us remember what’s genuinely important.
P.S. – It’s easy to treat charity as something we think about during the holiday season or when disaster strikes. But giving can be a year-round commitment, whether that means supporting one organization, helping various charities throughout the year, or celebrating targeted donation days (such as #GivingTuesday or World Wish Day). And whether you’re donating money, time, resources, or helping raise awareness — charitable giving can make a real difference. Not only to the charity but, as Black pointed out to Red all those years ago, for you.
| I’m curious about something, though. As children, we were never exposed to charity, so what got you involved with Make-A-Wish? Even Natasha has asked me about Make-A-Wish, because she has seen the kids’ artwork at your house and recognizes the logo from seeing it on your race car. |
red headassets.rebelmouse.io | It was years ago. I was invited to play in a Make-A-Wish golf tournament, and at the dinner some of the kids came out and told their Wish stories. They mentioned their illnesses and the doctors and the hospitals in passing — as if it was just a minor detail in their stories. But when they talked about their wishes, it was with such excitement and pure happiness that it was overwhelming. A few weeks earlier, I had received a huge bonus at work, and so I was feeling flush with cash, and when I saw the power of a wish — the hope, the joy, the strength it could provide — it made me look at money in a totally different way. When you meet children who are seriously ill and you realize no amount of money can “fix the problem,” but yet something as simple as wishing for a puppy or to meet a celebrity can make such a huge difference in their lives, then you are reminded of what is really important in life. And what is not. |
| Wow. I don’t think I have ever heard you this passionate about anything. |
| Probably not. Make-A-Wish has been an important part of my life for a long time. I know I am very fortunate in many respects, but sometimes I get wrapped up in day-to-day life and forget that. I may have problems with one of the cars, or I am annoyed with Larry, or it is just a bad day, Make-A-Wish reminds me that my problems or frustrations are minuscule in the scheme of things. |
| This is a side of you that I rarely see. I’m impressed. And proud. |
| Thanks, but Make-A-Wish does far more for me than I do for them. Partly as a substitute for not having children of my own, but more importantly as my reality check on life. It is my constant reminder of what is important. And although I may not be able to cure the kids, the fact I can make their lives a little better by helping grant wishes is the least — the very least — I can do in return. |
Blackassets.rebelmouse.io
Shop, Social Media & Site — UPDATE!
RED & BLACK SHOP
We’re excited to announce we’ve finally opened the store and will be adding more items over the coming months. But it’s not about selling “stuff” … it’s about combining inspiring and entertaining messages (what we like to call “merchandise with meaning”) with items that are both practical and fun.
And, following a commitment we made years ago, everything is Made In The USA.
Please check it out at www.RedandBlackShop.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Not to brag, but our social media followers are growing faster than expected (except on Facebook, but that might be because we lost 4,500 followers … on purpose).
For those of you who use social media, we’d love it (well, Red would "love” it — Black would greatly appreciate it) if you could check us out — and if it’s not too much trouble … help us spread the word!
WEBSITE
It seems we keep saying our new and totally revamped website is about to launch. Well, we’re about to finalize all the library topics, which is the last major piece. That was a major project, and I’m sure we’ll tell you all about it, as it showed both the strength and weakness of artificial intelligence (AI) to review lots of data. But we’re almost there.
SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE …
The world is changing — and we’re all being inundated with opinions, politics, and misinformation. Add in AI, and more than ever, people are looking for authenticity and human intelligence. Or, at least, human connection. So, when it comes to Red & Black … what’s more “real” than real sisters?
We’re going to stay true to ourselves and continue to focus on content that will (hopefully) help people laugh, learn, and build community alongside us. (OK, there may be some eye-rolling at Black’s unexpected comments or Red’s “cluelessness” at times.) On social media. With our merchandise. In our newsletter. On this site.