Finding the RIGHT moment

Choosing the right moment to spend time on a task is one of the skills Time Management 101never offers. Which is a shame, because I've been good at completing calendar entries for years now, whereas my completion of actual tasks can vary wildly.

The easy ones include:

• There won't be sausages for dinner unless I take them out of the freezer the night before, or in the morning before work.
• The time to buy Christmas presents is almost never on Christmas Eve.
• Post a local birthday card at least a day ahead (2 is better).
• Don't be late for meetings at work.

If only life was always so straight forward...

We may know what to do, but not when. I know that I have to spend several hours on completing a big report for work, but do I do it in half hour chunks over a couple of weeks, or do I put aside a day and pull a 'spectacular' (if my ducks line up ok)?

What do we do when our job keeps us so busy that we can't look after our health. That slight cough that won't go away "isn't important right now" but might be any day now.

We may know the moment is right but not what to do. The baby is crying so it needs something - but what? A feed? A nappy (diaper) change? Burping? This problem is one that various 'how-to' guides can solve for us.

We may also do the wrong thing at the wrong time. Ouch! Nagging is the classic 'what not to do' example. It's (usually) the wrong thing, and (usually) at the wrong time. We nag because we want our kids to remember to pick up their toys, but our kids don't remember to pick up their toys except when we nag them, and then they're just following orders.

Eventually, we learn to manage the right thing at the right moment in our study and work: if we don't we fail or have to go find another job. Outside of work, we're largely on our own with the really important stuff.

How should we spend our precious 'self-care' time?

• Should I go see a movie and relax with friends, or have an early night at home and do some housework?
• Should I spend my holiday rushing about experiencing everything my destination has to offer (and having a wild time) or relaxing beside a pool not bothering with which country the pool is in?
• Do I hang out with my partner or kids, or do I spend time alone?

Where should we best spend our precious time when nurturing personal relationships?

• How much time - and when - do your kids need you in order to feel connected to you and loved?
• How much time - and when - does your partner?
• Can you and your grannie on the other side of the country be satisfied with monthly phone calls?
• When will a disagreement with a loved one be helped by ignoring it, and when should we fight on until we reach a solution?
• What's the right time - if ever - to tell a friend we don't think their partner is good for them?

Most of the time we only learn the answer to these questions - partial answers at best - through the harsh experience of getting them wrong at least once.

At least I can trust that I've found a right moment (if not the right moment), now, as I post this: post 19 of 100 posts in 100 days.