Le Surbooking, pronounced a la française

I stopped at the sound of it, while reading leMonde. The context I have by now forgotten. But "Surbooking" sounds like an ailment we all suffer from, or on the contrary energize from.

I have made a conscious effort to air out my children's schedules. They haven't even started their farsi lessons this year. The eldest swims more frequently and has temporarily given up his weekly riding session. Management of time is all about give and take, isn't it?

In the end, we want to maximize, give in the full effort and practice. Why attend Bikram yoga once a week when I can squeeze in a second session. Is twice a week pilates enough? Will I see results if I lift weights only once a week? Doesn't golf and violin require practice?

Our priority is academics and the lessons must be reviewed, the projects prepared. We also have the CNED home schooling program which entails a lot of preparation, hours of tutoring and much organization.

I end up double tasking, barely ever enjoying down time, always scheduling, so that I don't arrive late to lessons, or miss them. Always in the back of my mind, I know that nothing is quite important, that we can afford to skip a class here or there.

However,  what is important is consistency. Keeping to an activity, continuing pilates after 6 years, or a swimming/golf program for my son. My daughter has attended ballet, session after session, term after term, year after year: steadfast. The scheduling turns into routine and routine into comfort.

All the while, we all know that if any of the activities get cancelled, we run to the golf course, to the park, to the zoo, to the beach. We invite a cousin, a friend, include a grandparent.

Suffice for us to live the moment. Concentrate, benefit, focus. Time is precious. Enjoy. And so we squeeze, we fit, we add, we stretch and we sometimes find a 25th hour in the day.