Where I talk about some time management jargon that I modded to work for me, an artist

Have you ever heard of the four Ds? I talk about a time management system that sometimes helps me juggle the many hats I wear.

I’m going to go on record saying that the month of May is the worst. I always think that I have March, April, and May under control and that the end of school will not wreck me and I am always wrong. This season I added a class, a humongous volunteer project, the hundred day project, my mom having surgery, and caring for her and her dog (making the total dog count at my house three) to my list of things to manage in May. This happened to me a few years ago and as soon as the season passed, I went to my calendar and marked April and May of the following year off limits so I wouldn’t schedule anything. That year’s version of me was so much smarter than this year’s version of me. This year me just kept on scheduling things like I had zero experience as to what the end-of-the-school-year season holds.

I’m pretty good about not over scheduling myself. Usually. But this year I wrecked myself all by myself. You can bet that I’m closing the calendar for next April and May! My youngest child will be graduating from high school, my partner and I already have our 30th anniversary trip scheduled for April, and I’m doing nothing else. And that will be entirely on purpose.

Overwhelm

I’ve been thinking a lot about how we shoehorn art into our day if we are working people. And I am very privileged to not have a job working outside my house. But that doesn’t mean I’m without responsibilities. I consider myself my family’s house manager and scheduler. (Clearly, I’m still learning how to manage my scheduling job. giant eye roll.gif) In years past, I’ve called that being a stay-at-home mom. But I don’t think that really cuts it anymore because my kids are in high school and college, so I just made up a new title for myself.

Today I’m writing this post, caring for dogs, waiting on my kiddo to finish at their AP test, thinking about what I need to do for dinner, doing a handful of other chores, and wondering when or if I might get some art time in. And I have to wonder along with it, how is any of this sustainable? Part of that is the burnout talking. I am tired. This season has mashed me down so hard. But also, actually? How is it sustainable?

My six (or maybe seven) Ds of time management

And I go back to the four Ds of time management. This is all over the internet but if you’ve never seen it before it looks like this:

  • Delay – What can you postpone until later?
  • Delegate – What can someone else take off of your plate?
  • Diminish – What can you do less of?
  • Delete – What can you skip entirely?

I added a fifth D which is “delight.” Delight is what you get if you work the four Ds. But “delight” can also be for when you get to work on the good stuff. There are times when I need a sixth D which is “dammit.” That’s for when the four Ds don’t go as planned. Sometimes I think I also need another D. “Don’t look too far ahead on your calendar because it’ll make you hyperventilate.” But maybe that’s just too many Ds.

The original four Ds work pretty well if I can hold them in my head long enough to do them. Certainly contemplating each one allows me to analyze what I’ve got scheduled and adjust so I’m not so overwhelmed. I have a sticky note in the front of my bullet journal with the six Ds listed so maybe I might remember to contemplate them if I see the note.

With school almost out, I feel like delegating some dog care to my teen is highly likely in a few weeks. I’m going to diminish some volunteer work for the next few months. And I’m delegating some chores that don’t need my specific brand of magic. And then there are some chores that just aren’t getting done this summer. Because friends, Art Retreat Week 2024 is coming up soon and I am living for that week. Art Retreat Week 2023 was such a gift that I am not missing that sweetness this year!! And frankly being able to get to Art Retreat Week is what all this time management business is actually for.

This keeps coming up

I realize as I am writing this that I’ve talked about this tangentially in quite a few of last few posts. It’s come up a lot because well, this is the season I’m in right now. Also this overwhelm keeps me from working ahead on the blog. Another piece of why I hate feeling so rushed all the time. I need to take myself on a tiny brainstorming trip so I can come up with 8-10 ideas to write about for the blog. If I have a list then I can be pondering what to write about before I actually write it.

I’m really hoping that in 2 more weeks all of this is going to be massively better. Cross your fingers for me! Are you managing overwhelm? Do the four Ds help you at all? Or do you use some other time management system that works? I want to know!! Catch up with me on socials, email me, or go old school and leave a comment on this post to be immortalized for all of time.

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