Hasta La Ideas

I am still on cloud nine since our little man joined our family last week. He is happy, healthy, and beautiful. We have spent most of the past two weeks in a hotel room half-way across the country from where we live. It took 10 days to receive permission through the ICPC to travel home, and on Thursday we were finally back to normal.

A lot has changed in the past two weeks — all of it very welcome change — but still a schedule upheaval. Students, teachers, and others going through major life changes are also experiencing similar schedule changes right now. Whenever these types of changes happen, I recommend the following to help handle the change but being (a bit) organized in the process:

• Relax your standards, at least temporarily. While you’re adjusting to the new schedule, it’s okay to let things slide a bit. You don’t have to be at the top of your game from the word “go.”
• Minimize. Get rid of the unnecessary things in your schedule and only focus on the most important tasks at hand. Many people also find that they go through an uncluttering of stuff during this time. Do whatever works best for you.
• Sleep. Change of any kind can be physically and mentally taxing, so be sure to sleep.
• Lean on others. You don’t have to go through this change without help. Whether it’s a supervisor at work who can provide guidance for a new job, a babysitter who can come over and watch your baby for a few hours while you sleep, or a therapist with whom you can talk through your situation, it’s okay to turn to others. You’re less likely to feel like you’re on a sinking ship if you turn to others for support.
• Plan, as best as you can. You can’t predict everything, but mentally prepare for your new schedule. Even if what you predict is wrong, it’s fine. The simple act of envisioning the future will help you prepare for whatever does happen.
• Learn from your failures. If something isn’t working, adapt, adjust, and tinker until you make it to smoother waters.

How do you plan for and handle change? Sound off in the comments.