IN DEFENSE OF OVERSCHEDULING...

It’s almost here, people!! There is a light at the end of the tunnel – it’s still dim but fast-approaching. Before you know it, you’ll be able to stop fighting the good fight and put on your summer brain, when ice cream can be eaten before dinner and numbers on the to-do list blend into hours by the pool.

BUT, like any good race, the last mile is often the hardest. It’s around this time of year that I like to set a schedule for myself so that I can get all my various scheduling done. Without a good schedule for you and your entire family, it’s very hard to come up with a good schedule for you and your entire family. Being properly scheduled will help you achieve so much more scheduling, which is the key to productivity and efficiency. Don’t believe me? Read on…

9:00 am Schedule a pick up for your online shopping returns.

9:15 am Schedule pre-camp orthodontist appointment.

9:20 am Schedule pre-camp check-up.

9: 25 am Reschedule pre-camp orthodontist appointment as the only pre-camp check-up available is the same time as the just- scheduled ortho appointment.

9:30 am Call a friend and ask if she thinks that was a dumb move.

Waste 25 mins and rejigger whole schedule ahead by 15 minutes.

10:00 am (now 10:15 am) Schedule a call with teacher to talk about how your child is overscheduled.

10:30 am Review soccer and basketball game schedules.

10:45 am Schedule private soccer and basketball lessons.

10:50 am Scheduled call with mom-group to go over the schedule for next semester, and the schedule for drop-offs and pick-ups. After much discourse, agree to think about the schedule and reconvene.

11:00 am Schedule an extra session with shrink.

11: 10 am Schedule SAT tutor, Spanish tutor, and interviews for a new SAT tutor. Reschedule tennis that child missed last week because you didn’t read the email about the changes to the bus schedule.

11:30 am (Forget to) schedule the important call with impossible-to-reach party planner who is going away for three weeks to do Kanye’s birthday celebration in Santorini.

12:00 pm Schedule exercise.

12:15 pm Schedule post-exercise blowout.

12:30 pm B-day lunch with college friends that was rescheduled 6 times. Sip mimosas, laugh, reminisce and take a break from your busy schedule. Fantasy-schedule a girls’ trip to WeCare spa, couples’ trip back to Jazz Fest, a trip with the kids to Hershey Park, and a b’nai mitzvah trip to Israel.

2:00 pm Schedule alert!! Tickets for your child’s play go on sale in 2 hours!

2:15 pm Blow-out. While getting blowout, schedule next blow-out based on next scheduled workout.

2:30 pm Peruse afterschool schedule, and schedule two Ubers on two different devices so everyone can get where they need to go.

2:45 pm Schedule eye doctor appointment for one child, dermatologist for the other, and haircuts for both. Feel like you’re forgetting something.

3:00 pm Schedule alert!! Tickets for your child’s play go on sale in 1 hour!

3:15 pm Schedule endocrinologist appointment for one kid, allergist for the other, and camp appointments for both. Feel like you are forgetting something.

3:30 pm Schedule alert!! Tickets for your child’s play go on sale in 30 minutes!

3:59 pm Receive long-awaited phone call from old client who has been promising to call for months when he gets a break in his schedule.

4:15 pm Feverishly call box office for tickets to your child’s play. Row Q. I repeat, Q.

5:45 pm Scheduled drink with husband to go over the schedule for the weekend

6:30 pm Parents Association seminar on stress and time-management.

7:00 pm Parents Association seminar on stress and time-management begins.

8:00 pm Family dinner during which you try not to implode when your oldest tell you that she’s “over” dance, and your youngest tells you he doesn’t want to do basketball anymore, and that he wants to do lacrosse, which is on Mondays, which is the same day that the basketball mom-group finally settled on, which he sort of wants to do too. Can’t you just switch it?!

9:00 pm Scheduled massage that is a relic gift from your old boss thanking you for doing such a good job with his schedule. Relax for seven-minute intervals interrupted by aggressive mental lacerations critiquing all the things you forgot to schedule, still need to schedule, and are currently on your schedule.