I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by all that I want to accomplish today. My solution to this? Read, of course! In this case, this morning’s slices and other interesting blogs and articles from my Twitter feed.

Without question, the best thing about participating in SOLSC is meeting new people. I feel so fortunate to be part of this smart, creative community. So I shouldn’t be surprised that the way forward could be found by reading their blogs. Bonnie, at blkdrama, confirmed that I wasn’t alone in having lots to do, but really wanting to just sit and read. Reading Angela’s post about her notebook and all its contents brought on the light bulb moment, though. Of course I make lists all the time. They’re pages long, filled with tasks and chores that would take months to finish. So today I’m categorizing and prioritizing this list, choosing the most pressing item in each category (work, home, cleaning) and trying to finish those.

Work: I’m currently developing 4 units of study with colleagues. This process is challenging during the school year, as we all have students to teach, meetings to attend, and daily plans to write. The first step in our planning is to meet and discuss the unit’s broad goals and objectives. We also look at what we’ve been teaching in the past, what materials we’ve used, as well as what materials we have that could be incorporated into the new unit. Then I create the documents that spell all this out, and we meet again to revise, clarify, etc. Today, I must get the 2^nd grade character unit outline finished.

Home: This category includes things like paying bills, writing birthday cards and notes, getting packages ready to mail, and making appointments. The woman who prepares our taxes is coming on Tuesday, so all those documents have to be organized. Before Tuesday.

Cleaning: I don’t include laundry or daily dishes in this category. Those jobs just have to be done. These are chores like dusting and vacuuming, which I really don’t hate. They just take too much time. I do have a couple of tricks that help me get them accomplished. Listening to an audio book is a must while cleaning. I also find that if I work for about half an hour, and then take a short reading break, I’m much more productive. Prioritizing by asking “what would I be most mortified about if someone dropped in?” is a huge motivator.

I’m really not this organized, but writing this, like reading the blogs above, has helped me formulate a plan. My family isn’t listed here. They just always come first. Notice that writing isn’t included either. Trust me, I’ll be writing more today. I’ll also be reading. That’s just a given.

Thanks to all of you, for all your inspiration (and for reading these rambling thoughts). Hooray for us all for getting to day 10!

Thank you to Stacey and Ruth at Two Writing Teachers for hosting this Slice of Life Challenge!