Divide and Conquer

Making Kids, Jobs, and unpleasant tasks more manageable and enjoyable!

 The other day, we were invited to a "closing party" at a very chic art gallery where my husband had helped draw the conceptual art being shown. It was an early evening event, and I knew that it would primarily be a lot of schmoozing and art-world discussion while wandering with glasses of wine and exotic hors d'oeuvres. When a babysitter wasn't in the budget for that week, we were told by one of the organizers to "Just bring the kids!" My mistake was in ever listening to him! While not a disaster, the evening wasn't a success in terms of model children or making new connections, and we arrived home tired, frazzled, and irritated.

 

The next day, an experienced father of six and grandfather of many made the simple observation that perhaps next time we should "divide and conquer!" Though the phrase may have a troubled military history, it's application was rather apt. Two young tired kids and two torn adults in the middle of a very kid-unfriendly environment was a perfect recipe for all-around frustration! One kid in that environment would have been much more handle-able, and the other could have been a welcome play-date candidate rather than an expense or chore for someone to watch. Rather than have one of us miss the event, we could have both had more than 20 minutes of quality time to enjoy the reason we were there in the first place. Not ideal, but workable, enjoyable, and affordable.

Divide and conquer isn't just about handling kids, though it can work wonders there! It applies to any task or job or situation that is daunting, large, or too complicated to deal with at once.

Divide up the work ... the pieces usually become more appetizing

• Split the job into smaller tasks
• Split those involved into manageable groups

Divide up the responsibility ... you'll find more willing helpers

• Delegate to anyone who can help
• Don't hesitate to ask for help!
• Find jobshare partners, playdate traders, babysitter shares, hired assistants, friends, family ... whoever can help you with the specific tasks.

Make it fun ... and everyone wins!

• Make repetitive or boring tasks into a game or competition
• Put people into an environment they're naturally comfortable in, and they'll shine
• With kids, getting time with just one parent or caregiver is usually a real treat, so frame it that way when arranging things

The bottom line is about finding a way to make the scenario a more enjoyable one for all involved. See if it's possible to eliminate the "this is work" aspect from it, and split it up so that everyone enjoys the pieces they're responsible for. If you have unlimited resources, you have almost endless options. When your resources are limited in terms of time, hands, funds, or patience ... then don't forget to divide and conquer! You'll be a lot happier for it, and so will your kids, friends, and fellow party-goers!