This year we decided to change up how we do our kids’ birthday parties. In the past, we’ve done a party marathon one day of the weekend, injecting a party for friends followed by a party for family. While it has left us with the other day of the weekend to prepare (or recover), it has been incredibly stressful. Too many transitions, too much happening, and not enough time to take a breath.
I’ve written previously about my need as a person, learner, and leader to have a moment to collect my thoughts. It is much harder for me to be productive and effective when everything is moving at the speed of light.
So, this year we decided to use up a weekend for parties: one day for friends, the other for family.
And it went extremely well. With half the day of both days open, we were able to take care of errands, do some prep work, and just as importantly, to relax and recover. And, most importantly, it was better for the kids too!
This made me think about the value in considering time from different angles. We don’t always have to do everything at once, despite the fact that we might feel it might make us more productive. In fact, as I’ve learned, no matter how quickly I accomplish things, there are always more important tasks waiting to be explored.
As a number of important people in my life have told me, “We have to go slow to eventually go fast.” By splitting our time, and thinking about completing tasks differently, rather than simply plowing through them, we stand the chance to be more productive, reflective, and supportive of those we serve.