That "On-Call" Life

Hubby was promoted earlier this year. It was great for our financial picture, but not so hot for my schedule. Part of hubby's new role is taking customer calls for his team. Whenever they come in. And let me tell you, people are not at all considerate of what time of day it is. You not knowing how to reset your television box is not an excuse to call my husband at 11pm, Linda.

If you're making a complaint call, here's a pro-tip...be nice. If you are reasonable, people are likely to bend over backwards to help you. If you're an asshole, then don't expect anyone to go above and beyond.

Unfortunately, there's no way to screen these calls, and hubs has to have his phone on in case someone from his team calls off. Which also happens way too much, IMO. 

Hubby has the patience to do the job, but I'm struggling to have the patience to adapt to this new lifestyle. Which is why I've been on this big productivity and organization kick. Since he needs time to settle into his new job, I'm taking on a lot more responsibility at home. Meaning everything involved in day-to-day stuff for the whole family. He helps out as much as he can, but I need to keep track for the days he's gone. Running a family, especially on one vehicle isn't the easiest task. So I'm struggling.

But beyond the "on-call" lifestyle, I've realized that working from home means you're never off work. Ever. Turning on your computer, getting notifications that you know will only take a second to reply to or fix, means that you tend to work ALL THE TIME. 

So I'm trying out a few things.

1. Sprints are for more than just writing.

I've started using a timer to get cleaning done. Where I'd start cleaning and stop at the first notification blip before, I wait until my 20 minutes is up. I still answer phone calls, because I have to, but once the call is done, I reset the timer and try again. I'm always shocked at how much I accomplish in such a short time when I give myself permission to walk away from the the dings.

2. Meals are a priority.

Everything seems worse when I'm hungry. So no matter what I'm doing, I stop for lunch and dinner. And water consumption is important too. Using my 20 minute timer as a signal to refill my water bottle has helped me make sure I'm staying hydrated. My lips aren't as chapped since I started doing this, either. Which is nice, and tells me exactly how much I was neglecting my body before.

3. Top 3 

Because both hubs and I are at the mercy of other people for the majority of our days, schedules are more like guidelines. I might make a list of up to ten tasks that I'm going to try and tackle for the day, but I always break down a "Top 3". These things are usually meetings, showers, and feeding the family. If the whole day goes to shit, I drop everything else and move to the Top 3. If I get those three things accomplished, I'm okay. 

I also have a weekly To Do list in my planner of items I want to get accomplished. So if I find myself ahead of schedule for the day, I'll grab one of those items and try to check it off. 



The biggest lesson I've had these past few months, is that I have to be okay with being in charge of my reactions instead of my path. People are going to throw a wrench in my plans no matter how beautiful of a time block I create. Sometimes I self-sabotage that plan too, if I'm being real honest. The only thing I am one hundred percent in control of is how I react. 

Taking on a day with an I've-got-this attitude beats the heck out of a This-whole-day-is-ruined one. Maybe that's me becoming a mature adult?

*glances at fanfic notes about alien probes* 

Nah...I doubt it.


~Roxy