While I couldn’t imagine living without my calendars and datebook, I also realize that single parenting has expanded my brain capacity in many ways. There just seems to be things that I HAVE to keep in my head. I’m not sure if this is actually good for me and will help me ward of dementia, or if it is wearing my brain out long before its time…
Now don’t get me wrong, I make my share of blunders and I can remember clearly forgetting to take care of something I was supposed to take care of, but on the whole, I do think that single parenting requires me to stuff quite a bit into my head and try to retrieve it. I notice when I am working, for example, that I have learned to work faster and more efficiently—simple because I do not have the leisure of working late or working during off hours most of the time. Where other people are making charts and slowly filing things away and creating complicated systems, I have had to learn to work “lean” and keep stuff in my head as much as possible.
I also have all sorts of useless information stuck in my head that is tied in to my family life too—I know how long it takes us to go through a gallon of milk so that I can remember to stop and get one “just in case” and I know when the late starts are at school or the names of the attendance secretaries at each school any of my children has EVER been too. I imagine that some day this information will be allowed to slip out to make room for more.
I am not saying that it is necessary for a single parent to cram his or her head full of information and never write anything down—in fact, I HAVE to write things down on a regular basis or our world would likely fall apart. BUT, what I do know is that I often do not have time to get things on paper and it is necessary to keep the brain full in order to function in the course of an ordinary day.
Also: Keeping Track of Everyone without Losing Your Mind
Where Would I Be Without My Notepad and Datebook?