I realized something the other day that took me by surprise: I do some of my best work when I’m stressed out of my gourd.

My stress levels are always pretty high. That’s not a complaint, it’s just a statement of fact. I don’t think it’s just because I’m juggling work and family — thought that undoubtedly contributes to it. I’m pretty sure it’s just the way I am.

But some days — OK, many days — my stress levels are higher than others. And those days, I’ve found, are the days when I become uber-productive. Read the rest of this entry »

I love being up early, but I’ve never been good at getting up early. I’m grouchy and groggy in the morning, even though I’m instantly awake multiple times in the middle of the night if any of the children so much as wimper. (Hmmm… connection, maybe? Nah.)

Right now, in order to get everyone and everything ready for 8 a.m. camp and school, I need to be up by 6. No matter how much I get done the night before, it seems that I still need that much time to get the ball rolling (or juggling, as the case may be) in the morning. This morning was so hectic, in fact, that I’m considering getting up even earlier, even though the idea of the alarm going off at 5:30 makes me cringe.

Once 9 a.m. rolls around, though, I’m raring to go. The problem is that by then I’m usually stuck in traffic on the way to work, crawling along the highway or hugging the speed limit on a winding back road. Read the rest of this entry »