I don’t know why, but October is always a crazy month for me. Maybe it’s because I have 2 anniversaries, 2-3 birthday parties, Halloween, and the Halloween activities such as Trunk or Treat and school parties. The fact that is starts to get dark early and is often still barely dawn when I get up doesn’t help. Add to that the regular litany of extracurricular activities and housework, and it’s quite a load.
And then I decided to run for the local school board.
So now, in addition to the normal October madness, I am in the final two weeks of my campaign. Just the other day I spent 2 hours canvassing in my neighborhood to get the word out. 16,000 steps for the day. My legs still haven’t recovered.
All this is to say that I have not had time to think up a properly satisfying blog post for this week. So I am giving myself a break and just letting it go.
October Madness
I should be writing…
…but I am filling out invitations to my daughter’s birthday party.
I should be editing…
…but I am online searching for my daughter’s costume.
I should be marketing…
…but I am helping my daughter with a school birthday project.
I should be doing my galley edits…
…but this week my daughter’s school has 3 half days.
I should be sleeping…
…but I am doing all the things I didn’t get done when I should have.
I am sure everyone has a particularly crazy time of year. For some it is Thanksgiving or Christmas because they host family gatherings or travel. For some it is a time of year when work is heavy, such as CPAs at tax time.
I suffer from October madness at the end of October/beginning of November.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get far enough ahead of the rush to not have it be a rush. I thought I was sitting pretty this year—until my galley edits showed up. Always something unexpected! And then I have to readjust my plate-spinning.
Between parties for my daughter’s birthday and Halloween parties and her friends’ birthdays, it seems non-stop. And this year I’m also helping out at the school Halloween party in her classroom. For an introvert like me, this is a very draining time of year.
Still, it is finite, and I can look ahead to November 4th and say, “That’s when the craziness ends.” It’s coming, I just have to forge ahead until I reach it. I make lots of lists and hold myself to strict discipline as I strike things off. No time for naps or Word Scramble now!
What’s your “insane” time of year? Any tricks to get through it?