Thanksgiving Tradition (In The Works)

Don't worry, I won't be changing our Thanksgiving tradition. But I intend to add meaning to it somehow, and make it more consistent. It's a perk of being newly married that we can "customize" traditions and make them our own. We don't watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or football, nor do we want it to be about binge eating and drunkenness. So how will a typical Thanksgiving go?

WEEK OF: We want to volunteer in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, and participate in a food drive for those less fortunate. We also want to find someone that we can bless and give some reason to be thankful. There a lots of people that cannot be with their families, so we intend to extend an invitation to one or two to celebrate with us. There are other people that are simply struggling and would have an otherwise miserable holiday. The plan is to find one such person and make their week.

THURSDAY MORNING: Special brunch just for immediate family, a break from the oats and eggs we are used to. We'd also open the gratitude jar during brunch and read the notes accumulated over the past year. The gratitude jar is my wife's idea that throughout the year, we insert notes of blessings and gratefulness (par 1Thes.5:17-18), so we can remember God's provision and faithfulness.

Also that morning, my wife participates in the Turkey Trot, which is organized by the local YMCA. Proceeds from the fundraiser go to various causes, but more generally to sponsor low-income families to participate in YMCA programs.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON: Main meal with extended family, usually our parents. In odd years (2013, 2015, ...), we spend the holiday in Colorado. Even years (2014, 2016, ...), we shall be flying to Seattle, WA to spend it with her side of the family.
After the meal, we usually take a walk in some park close by, and get right into the desserts when we return. We then play board and card games, watch a holiday film, and pick names for Christmas gifting. Our tradition is that everyone will pick one name in the family for whom they will give a gift at Christmas (so you are not buying gifts for everyone).

THURSDAY NIGHT: Shopping for deals! Black Friday and Cyber Monday are great to finally get things we have been wanting, or Christmas gifts we intend to send to friends and family. This year hasn't been great on the deals, but we did get out and look around.

FRIDAY MORNING: The men do the Manitou Incline and will usually stop at a pizza parlor thereafter for lunch (Hell's Kitchen Pizza anyone?). This is the first time we've done this, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. We are thinking it is a definite repeat.

From Lists To Time Blocks

I don't know how everyone manages their time, but I'm very much a lists guy. Almost everything I do in life entails a list of some kind. It is a great motivator to see crossed-off items, a sort of measure for progress.
Even with mobile to-do/task apps (where my lists live), I still started my day by writing down a list of everything I intend to do that day, complete with a start time and prioritization. Being the Christian guy I am, I then pray over the list before tackling the first item. By all accounts, the system was working for me.

Then 2 months ago I noticed that the more things I had on these lists, the more "pressure", resentment, and stress I felt (naturally). These feelings would be present all day long, and get worse the more items I failed to cross off or how much time I was off course. I'd end up less productive overall. It didn't matter how complex or simple the tasks were, my brain seemed to be fixated on the number of tasks and was getting overwhelmed. So I decided to simplify.

You start by diving the day into blocks of time: wee-hours (3-7am), morning (8-12pm), afternoon (1-5pm), evening (6-9pm). Those are the only times you'll be working on tasks. Notice how there are 1-hour gaps between them: that's when to do a distracting activity. I might go for a walk, go to the gym, play chess or words-with-friends, or watch a TV show.
As for the tasks, you pick only 2-3 for each time block (1 high priority item and 1-2 lesser ones), pushing the rest tentatively into the next day. I use a 3-2-3-2 pattern, allowing up to 10 tasks each day. So when each block of time starts, my brain only concerns itself with 2-3 things for the next 3-4 hours (no matter how complex they are). You start with the simplest one (usually whichever you think will require the least time or if pressing, the highest priority one), and must be okay with walking away from a task when its time is up.

Essentially you are tricking your brain into thinking it has a lot of time to accomplish a few tasks. But you will be surprised how much more productive you will be (the quality of work will be higher too). I think the implicit built-in reward system (the breaks between time blocks) and the illusion that fewer things need be done in so much time do the trick. When new tasks present, they take the next available block slot. Avoid the temptation of cramming things into the next block because they seem too important. There is nothing of this earth that cannot wait (attitude), except obvious emergencies.

Perhaps there is a study out there that examines efficient time management strategies for various brain types (laissez-faire types may not benefit as much as analytical/logical types like myself). Meanwhile though, I'm doing all my planning this way, and it *is* a lot simpler. With whatever time you spare up within each block, you can suck in another task from the postponed list or finish up a recent incomplete task.