What's a Clock Cushion?

(Check out these cushions.)
When you admit you are human and not super-human you use a clock cushion.

A clock cushion is extra time set aside in your day to handle unplanned things that come up.

A clock cushion is when you over estimate how long it takes to run an errand to take into consideration driving time, traffic hold ups,  getting interrupted, running into someone you hadn't seen in a while.

A clock cushion is when you set aside time to go to the bathroom.

No joke!  There are days when it seems nearly impossible to get a bathroom break.

The clock cushion is sort of like the Principle of Wiggle Room, but the clock cushion is for smaller time frames.

The Principle of Wiggle Room should be a reminder to not over book yourself.  Don't bite off more than you can chew......

Does Step #3 Drive You Crazy?

Just wondering.

Because there are moments in my day when I feel like I am a robot getting things done that are so mundane.

That's step 3.

Here's a recap of the steps so far. (I introduced them in this prior post.)

1. Make a commitment to the Live-Like-Vacation  Lifestyle
2. Sleep at the same time every night
3. Systematize your daily activities/chores so they are out of the way, (then you will have more room for the bigger activities)

Here's #4 and #5 just FYI:
4. Knock out of your life the things that are unproductive
5. Make your work joyful for yourself and others

And then, coming soon, as I work through my LLV progress, I will add in steps that address financial wellness.

Can Step #3 be a real drain?
I believe the answer is "yes."  This is something we have to make peace with.
I can wake up and stroll into the kitchen and say to myself, here I am again making coffee, making breakfast, feeding the cats...

Day in an day out these chores are here waiting to get done.  Paying the bills, taking out the trash, laundry, etc.  What is there to feel good about?  It's drudgery.

But if you can systematize it.....Oh, boy.  That's another chore.

Well, if I go about it willy-nilly, I forget something like making son's lunch.  Then I have to scramble to get that done before he's late for school.  So, a system will prevent scrambling.

I do not like scrambling.  This is what makes me so grumpy in the first place wondering when I can have my next vacation.

Scrambling is what makes my practice members call me up in a panic because they need to get adjusted as soon as they can because all their stress sneaked up on them.

I also tend to scramble when I am at work.  I have to type up a notice for someone.  I have to get a claim ready to mail.  I have to be productive in between appointments before it's time to pick up son from school.  I have to set aside time to eat lunch before my brain crashes next to my feet.

I have to systematize my work day so I can be more attentive to my practice members when they need me the most.

You, whoever you are, need to systematize your work day so you can be your best for your customers, clients, students, and co-workers.  We deserve it from each other.

So, the daily chores go smoothly and give you more time for the important things, or we can just feel as if we are drowning in the annoyance of chores.

I guess we can look back at #1.  The commitment makes a difference in our mind-set.  We know there is a greater reward when the small details are worked out.

And then I will throw in #2.  An authentically restful sleep routine makes us much more efficient, and we can feel as if this part of our day is effortless and a warm up for the rest.

Get warmed up for the rest of the day.

How do you use Step #3 to your advantage.  Please share in the comments section.

Also, in a future post I will discuss the second part of step #3.  You see that part that is written in parentheses.  What are the bigger activities of the LLV lifestyle?

Good question......  See you soon.  

Weekends Are Made for Nothing

Okay, disclaimer here:  I know not everyone gets the weekend off.  Many workers get their time off during the week.  Many people work more than one job.  I remember those days when I did it, too.  I would have to fight tooth and nail to request time off on holidays so I could travel to my parents' house to actually spend time with family.

And most of the time our society has regulated the work week to forty hours providing extra compensation for the necessary overtime and folks have two days off each week.  Sometimes.....  I guess that's why I have a Live Like Vacation Blog.  Life has become complicated and we forgot how to rest.

Back to my topic:

Weekends are made for nothing.  Well, I just laughed out loud at myself typing this.  Saturday just went by and I complained all day to myself that this was the pits.

Thinking back to my week in Florida, we focused on nothing.  Our minds were clear of multitasking thoughts.  We sat around much of the time and we made spur of the moment decisions when we wanted to do something.

That doesn't seem to happen on the weekends.
Grr.....I'm still working on it.  I guess I have to tweak this and that's the point of the blog.  I can write about it here and make changes in my schedule.

Every weekend we do the major shopping trip.  I used to like it.  But. .. Here's a secret. I like going alone.  I like getting lost in my own little world of browsing and looking at new items I might want to try.  But Hubby and I have different likes and he is so much better at picking out meat and comparing meat prices.

Shopping is part of the errand/chore routine that occupies people's time off.  Then there is the lawn, yard work, and the extra cleaning to get the dust balls that we walked by all week in the hallway.  You know what I mean.

And son plays a sport.  Right now it's only one sport, whew.  I don't know what else he is interested in at this point, but we do CYO basketball and all the games are on Sunday.  Of course that's perfect.  An hour or so after church he plays a game and Sunday is the best time of the week.

And then there's the Sabbath practice.  We are commanded by God to keep holy the Sabbath.  We tend to get a little fuzzy on that when he cram so much in the weekend.

Since I am Catholic, I will refer to the catechism because it truly reflects the genius of God's commandment.  And, well, God knows what he's doing and it clearly makes sense as to what our needs are.

I pasted the section below and put it in bold.  Here are some quick bullet points:
1. The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and Hallowed it:  So should we.
2. There is an irrevocable covenant with Israel regarding the release from bondage in Eygpt and God's trust that we would honor it.
3. Even God rested and was refreshed so what an important example it is for us. Should we be completely exhausted and wiped out during the time of rest, or should we look forward to it as a time of joyful reflection and recreation?
4. Christ declares the Sabbath for doing good, rather than harm. Do we sometimes warp the idea of "doing good?"  Do we over-do activities as we try to finish our work?  I admit, my work creeps in to the weekend and robs me of a fuller Sabbath.  It seems as if the Sabbath gets the minimum.

ARTICLE 3
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work.⁹⁰The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.⁹¹

* I. THE SABBATH DAY

2168 The third commandment of the Decalogue recalls the holiness of the sabbath: "The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD."⁹²

2169 In speaking of the sabbath Scripture recalls creation: "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it."⁹³

2170 Scripture also reveals in the Lord's day a memorial of Israel's liberation from bondage in Egypt: "You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out thence with mighty hand and outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day."⁹⁴

2171 God entrusted the sabbath to Israel to keep as a sign of the irrevocable covenant.⁹⁵ The sabbath is for the Lord, holy and set apart for the praise of God, his work of creation, and his saving actions on behalf of Israel.

2172 God's action is the model for human action. If God "rested and was refreshed" on the seventh day, man too ought to "rest" and should let others, especially the poor, "be refreshed."⁹⁶ The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.⁹⁷

2173 The Gospel reports many incidents when Jesus was accused of violating the sabbath law. But Jesus never fails to respect the holiness of this day.⁹⁸ He gives this law its authentic and authoritative interpretation: "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath."⁹⁹ With compassion, Christ declares the sabbath for doing good rather than harm, for saving life rather than killing.¹⁰⁰ The sabbath is the day of the Lord of mercies and a day to honor God.¹⁰¹ "The Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."¹⁰²

^{And a little farther down in the catechism this common sense practice is reiterated. Some very devout Christians will not even shop or go out on the Sabbath day because that forces others to also work.}

2184 Just as God "rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done,"¹²¹ human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.¹²²

In short, the weekends should be made for nothing that distracts us from what is important in the bigger picture of life.  This idea can change or inspire how to conduct ourselves during our time off.

Again, this is another reminder that we can do all our work and play in a mindless manner, or we can be mindful.