The Dogs Ate My Schedule
Ever had a week when your neatly organized planner ended up as a chew toy? Welcome to my world. As a writer who works from home, my dogs have a unique talent for rearranging my schedule—usually by sitting on it. Just when I think I have my day plotted, someone decides it’s time for an unscheduled game of fetch or a bark-at-the-mailman intermission. My Google calendar doesn’t have a “dog hair disaster” category, but it should.
My mornings are a symphony of alarms: the coffee maker beep, the ding of notifications, and the not-so-dulcet tones of two dogs wrestling under my desk. Breakfast meetings become breakfast negotiations as I trade bites of toast for a moment of peace. Forget time blocking; I’m mastering the art of time barking. If you caught the story of our resident chaos coordinator, you know that discipline is a suggestion, not a rule around here.
Midday is when my to-do list truly meets its demise. One minute I’m heads-down on a project, the next I’m chasing a dog who decided my printed agenda looked tastier than his kibble. I know I’m supposed to “eat the frog” first thing in the morning, but no one told my dogs the frog was a metaphor. They prefer to literally eat my agenda. At least they’re committed to the bit.
Evenings don’t offer much reprieve. I’ll sit down to write, only to have a wet nose nudging my elbow, reminding me that it’s dinner time (for them, not me). My half-finished draft waits as I refill bowls and step over squeaky toys. When I finally return, my creative flow has been replaced by a trickle and a dog is snoring across my feet. Cue the life lessons: sometimes you just have to embrace the interruptions and let the day unfold like a roll of toilet paper in a puppy’s mouth.
Despite the chaos, there’s a strange productivity in this madness. My dogs force me to take breaks, stretch my legs, and laugh when I might otherwise stress. They’ve taught me that a rigid schedule isn’t always the measure of a successful day. Some of the best moments happen when plans go awry. So if you find yourself frustrated because your own to-do list is missing a few corners, just remember—there’s always tomorrow, and maybe a fresh notepad. After all, routines are overrated when you’re living life with a couple of furry time bandits.
