The Business of Life

Yesterday, I spent the day traveling by plane from Chicago back home to Fresno. On one of the portions of my trip, I broke out my highlighted and underlined copy of David Allen's Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity to review. Seated adjacent to me was a young executive flying on business. My book caught his eye and he commented on it, asking me my profession. "I'm a Mom," I told him, giving my standard response.

The reality of my employment status is a bit too complicated to explain, so I prefer to state my vocation when asked. In truth, I run several web sites, am employed part time by my parish, write on a freelance basis and do design projects for small businesses.

I caught his sarcastic smile when he queried why I was reading a book about personal productivity if I was "just" a stay at home mom. Rather than give a lengthy response, I told him I worked part time and that I was interested in the topic of time management.

If I had been thinking straight, I would have referred to productivity guru David Allen's latest podcast, where he refers to "winning at the game of work and the business of life".

Indeed, for our work to be successful, it is crucial that we look at our home life as a well oiled machine. If my husband does not have laundered white coats fresh and waiting, he will not be properly uniformed to carry out his work as an ER doctor. If the brakes on my car don't function properly due to lack of service, I am unable to drive to my clients' offices for consultation. If I do not eat healthfully and exercise regularly, I am not in top form to manage the multiple professional responsibilities that demand my attention each day. You get the idea.

On the final flight home, I spent time working on a list of "next actions" that need to be taken care of today. However, when I returned home, I learned of the death of one of our parishioners and the fact that his funeral is this afternoon. My list will have to wait, as I feel compelled to honor and pray in thanksgiving for this special man and his well lived life.

Regardless of whether we are stay-at-home parents or partners in a law firm, personal productity and time management are critical to our missions and vocations and have great relevance to our lives, both at work and in the home.

Sometimes, the business of life trumps the game of work.

This post is also available on the Catholic Exchange productivity blog, CE on Time