producer/mamma to do list
by jenthorn
I have about 20 minutes to write this. That is how long Baby Einstein will occupy my daughter so I can write and focus. Amy’s entry yesterday made me think. Am I what I do? You be the judge. I put a line through the things I started already today. Here is my to do list. Some of these tasks are long term and some are short but all are to be touched on today:
To Do List for Wed.
- Talk icons for graphic design for the next MOXIE season with Chelsea
- Call Del Mar Blue Print to discuss pricing for season program
- Wash stains out of Penny’s diapers
- Check with local publications about advertising for next season
- Scan script for first show of season to see if it is appropriate for high school history classed to attend.
- Take Penelope to get weighed and pick up more diapers
- Stop at post office to pick up husband birthday present which I missed yesterday when it got delivered.
- Get phone number for local artist/patron to discuss sponsoring the salary for our artistic director for next season.
- Call mom and ask her how much she thinks I can ask some friends of ours to donate to MOXIE.
- Try feeding Penny avocado earlier in the day. Last night before bed was too late and she spat it out.
- Start on new business cards for MOXIE and new staff for season.
- Work on individual marketing plans for each show in season
- Draft ideas for “Club MOXIE” theatre-going club idea
- Put away laundry
- Read another chapter in Kansas to study for upcoming acting role in our first show
- Work on Aunt Dawn’s jewelry website
- Cancel Long Distance on phone bill
- Ride my bike for 30 mintues (it is on a stand in my living room so I can get some time in the saddle without having to leave Penny as I train for upcoming long distance ride in Tahoe.
My Office
Wish me luck folks!
MOXIE blog 
I noticed (as only another mother would…) that no where on that to do list does it say: eat, go to the bathroom, shower, get dressed.
Jen, you are not lacking ambition!!!!!!!
I would like to add that the only other things I managed to get done on that list were:
-Talk icons for season with Chelsea
-Check with local publications about advertising for next season
-Took Penny to get weighed and got diapers
-Picked up Husband’s birthday present
-Figured out Penny doesn’t dig avocado but does like bannana!
-Worked on my Aunt Dawn’s website
-Rode my bike for 30 minutes
I did forget lunch though and had to make an emergency stop while I was out. Productive day. No crack I swear.
I have a way of organizing my to do list that seems worth sharing. I fold a half sheet of paper into halves and then thirds so I can easily see only one of the six faces. And then I make my list for different projects in the different sections. Right now my piece of paper has one section for Sight Unseen (now all that is left is opening night cards, woohoo!) one section for No Exit (this is a long list), one section for MOXIE, one section for Cygnet, one section for my parenting/housekeeping life, and a miscellaneous side that reads “buy plane tickets” and “call Becca.”
I do one thing on each face, and then repeat. It keeps me interested and less overwhelmed when I stack projects, as we all do. My mother always said, “a change is as good as a rest.”
Jen… I think you’re kicking ass at life. You are amazing.
Esther… I love your to-do list suggestion. I was just thinking that I must be grossly mismanaging my time somehow… because I feel like I’m working constantly and getting nothing done. I’m going to try the origami approach. Or maybe make one of those cootie catchers with a different task written under each flap.
Rock out.
That to do list is a bad ass idea. I am making one right now!!!!!!!!
-jen
Mostly, I just want to add the words “make cootie catcher” to my to-do list.
I was just thinking about being in the present. I believe that half of my anxiety over getting things done has to do with anticipating things to do in the future, not even today. How I worry about the tasks that I see on the horizon and how that stands in the way of me enjoying the tasks I have today. Question for you moms, does having a baby help you be more in the present? Having that constant perspective reminder? Or does it magnify the anxiety even more, having another being’s future to worry about? Or maybe a little of both?
Becoming a mom has made me all about the present. I am in the middle of working on this thing and Penny is crying…I try to put her off…but she won’t wait. She wants something NOW. I don’t have much choice. She is only going to get louder, more upset, harder to calm down in the long run. Stop. Close my computer. Go and pick Penny up. As we are rocking I think about how what I was doing wasn’t that important. Penny smells so good. Her cheek is so soft. She giggles as my hair tickles her. Screw that thing I was doing. It’s play time. I am here now and that thing can wait till Penny naps…actually…maybe I’ll just shoot an email to someone and ask if they can take care of it for me. It wasn’t that important anyway. I feel so thankful. I know my to do list is long but those are all small tasks I can fit into my day at any time. I know that in the end the time I spend with her and Matt will be worth more than any job I could ever do. So I fit stuff in where I can and laugh the rest off.
You have to act decisively, that’s for sure. I have to get Milo to his crib before he gets overtired. I have to offer an activity before he gets bored. And I have to admit to myself that I’m going to want to stay at the opening night party before the opening night party starts, so I can give Missy fair warning. For me this stage of parenting is more planning, not less. But you all know I’m kind of allergic to schedules and rules, so that’s the direction I came from.
The thing that is really fascinating to me is that the quick, accurate decision making that I’m learning from Milo is a great skill for rehearsal. I bet it’s a great thing to have in any workplace. So why does being a stay at home mom for a couple of years reduce your value as an employee? Things that make you go, “hmmm.”