Relearning to Juggle – retirementtransition

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When I was working, I found it exciting to manage multiple projects simultaneously. I had juggling multiple balls down to an art. Those project management skills are needed again and unfortunately feel very, very rusty. In retirement, I had embraced less multi-tasking and a slower pace of getting things done. As part of our hurricane recovery, I have a long must-do project list – so many balls to keep in the air! I worry about missing things I need to be doing and slowing the physical recovery process down.

Each morning in my journal, I’ve started to note which balls I need to toss in the air that day. I’ve got 10 large ones related to hurricane recovery (each with multiple elements) and other smaller ones related to life. I’ve found that each day I can only manage 3-5 different balls in the air. And even that makes me mentally exhausted by the end of the day.

Some of those balls are about kicking and scratching for every cent due to us from various insurance companies. Many balls involve long wait times on the phone (an hour is not uncommon!). Some balls are fixing mistakes made (and not berating myself for them) and some are nudging along of others who need to do things (mostly out of my control). There are check offs and new things to add. I worry about doing things wrong and having to redo (which has happened multiple times already – hurricane brain). Everything seems to take so long to get done!

On the positive side, we have aligned to a path forward with the house (full demo and build elevated) and chosen a builder (general contractor). We have contracted with an architect for plans, a demo company to tear down the existing house, a survey company for some of the paperwork needed for permitting, and a soil sampling company to determine number of pilings we need to meet code. When I write that all down, it feels like a lot of accomplishment, even though it feels slow – none of the work is actually done yet! And there is so much to still start, even before we begin to think about all the build design questions (flooring, cabinets, fixtures, etc.).

At some point, I hope to return to the slower pace of retirement living I’d come to enjoy. But now, I juggle and each day I choose which balls to toss in the air. Is today FEMA or an insurance company follow-up and if so, which insurance company? Is today pushing along the house demo and if so, which element of that project? Is today a life element (like travel plans or finishing our trust set up or a Board of Director meeting prep/follow-up)? What live-in-the-moment thing am I doing today? And yes, even thinking through which of the multiple balls to toss in the air can make me feel tired!

Do you like a slower pace or multiple balls in the air everyday?

Picture credit: Pixabay