Trying and failing to get it all done

Why am I so bad at time management?

Today’s newsletter was originally supposed to be about to-do lists and productivity and the fact that I can never get everything done. But guess what? My to-do list was too long this week, and I didn’t get the essay finished. I called my mom to vent about something else and ended up crying about not having time to write my newsletter, and when she asked what I was writing about, I started doing that sort of semi-hysterical laugh/cry thing because it is funny, but also I’m so frustrated with myself for getting so busy with other (ahem, paying) projects that I didn’t have time to focus on this.

Truth be told, I also started reading Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman on Tuesday, and he has some interesting things to say on the topic of productivity and work that I’d like to include in my essay on to-do lists, so you’ll just have to wait until next week. Hopefully it will be worth the wait!

If you have thoughts on your never-ending to-do list, or if you’ve read Burkeman’s book and have feelings, please let me know!

Despite my failure to finish the original newsletter, I wanted to send something out, because I’m terrified that if I don’t hold myself to this weekly deadline, I’ll lose momentum. Yes, I know I shouldn’t be so hard on myself, but that’s how it goes. Nobody’s perfect.

I also have a few questions I want to ask you all, so I’m going to use this light week to throw them all out there. Get ready to start talking!

First up, Amazon Prime Day. Did you participate? I just wrapped up two long days working with my old friends at NBC Select, and was it ever a whirlwind. (Also, that’s a stellar team of hard-working human beings!) I have lots of feelings about Amazon in general that I’d like to get down on paper, but in the meantime, I want to know: Did you buy anything during the big Prime Day event this week? (I was not immune: We bought running headphones for Ken, a bike pump, a baseball bat for our kid, and toilet paper. Exciting stuff! Also, Ken would like you to know we don’t usually shop on Amazon, but he needed those headphones, pronto, and big surprise, Amazon was offering a month of free Prime!)

Speaking of buying stuff for my kid, on top of all the work that was driving me crazy this week, I had a stressful interaction with my kid about money. I don’t want to go too deep into the details right now (ever?) because it doesn’t make either of us look great (and I think he deserves a bit of privacy because he’s not reading this before it’s published), but I find it really hard to talk to my kid about money, and he has lots of feelings and opinions, and I honestly have no idea what I’m doing. I’m looking for some resources on the topic. Does anyone have any recommendations? Do you have any questions on the topic of kids and money that you’d like me to ask an expert? 

For a future newsletter, I’m working on a story about what is “enough” money. A friend recently asked me how much she needs to have in the bank to retire—not in 20 years (she’s in her early 40s), but like now, or next year. I’ve had similar conversations with a lot of people, and it’s something I think about a lot. Even those of us who don't want to retire early are probably working toward an income that allows us to live comfortably and not worry about money. Maybe you even want to be rich. I’m curious: Do you have a number in your mind that’s “enough” for you and your family? 

While we’re at it: How do you feel about your retirement savings? On track? Or oh fuck, that’s never happening?

(Side note: One of my favorite financial experts, Manisha Thakor, has a new book coming out August 8 on this very topic, Moneyzen: The Secret to Finding Your Enough. Manisha sent me a copy this week, and I can’t wait to read it.)

And last but not least, I’m working on a new series about women in their 30s and 40s and how they get shit done. Think The Cut’s How I Get It Done but with real women who don’t have the same resources as say Christy Turlington, who lives on a different planet from most of the rest of us. Would you like to be interviewed? Do you know someone I should talk to? Still deciding if the interviews will be anonymous or not…

Alright, friends, this ended up being a much longer newsletter than I anticipated writing when I started typing this morning at 6. And truth be told, I have about a hundred other questions for you, but we’ll save them for another week when I can’t get my act together to finish the original essay I planned. No doubt, it’s only a matter of time.

xx

Lindsey

p.s It’s my mom’s birthday! I wouldn’t be here writing these newsletters, scheming of bigger things without her support. And she deserves way more than being a postscript in this newsletter, but I also couldn’t sum up how much she means to me even if I wrote an entire book about her. She’s smart, generous, funny, and the most amazing grandmother. She has impeccable taste and is the most fun person to shop with. She showed me that it was possible to have a family and a successful career, and she makes it possible for me to have both, too, thanks to all her support with childcare and pep talks and the thousands of other big and small things she does for me on a regular basis. Happy birthday, Mom! We love you!