Planning your wedding while keeping your job :)

Hey there Bees,

As I write my post, my 3rd grade students have just come in from their Lunch recess and are doing their Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). During this time, I don't have too many questions to answer, tattle-tailing to deal with, nor questions like "Why did they name the dog Blue if it was black?" It gives me a little breather to take care of some things (like comparing various caterers side by side) from my To-Do list and/or Timeline.

So I leave you with a few tips on how you, too, can continue to plan your fabulous day while still keeping the job that secures your means of paying for it...

1. Stay on task.
   The quickest way to lose your job is to not do your work. So don't give your boss a (very legit) reason to fire you. Be a hard worker, and your boss can't say much to you. However, if you could not resist the urge to look up today's posts at the Hive or TheKnot.com, just plead guilty, let him/her know that you needed to refresh your mind before you plunge back into the deep hole, and that you'll (try) not to let it happen again - but do mean what you say. If your boss is suspicious of you, you're going to have the eagle eye watching...
   
   
2. Leave the highly organized yet very full 3" binder of your wedding plans at home.
   Oh, the binder of our beloved fabric swatches, latest runway fashions, and dreamy locations... too obvious! We know that you're organized. If anything, import that organization to the web. By doing your planning online, you can save articles, e-mail vendors, and look at photos. But do remember that your boss could walk in at any time, and you wouldn't want him/her to find you comparing periwinkle to lavendar all the while having your desk piled with papers yet to be completed. And now imagine him giving you an empty box for you to take and keep as a sovenior for when you pack up your things. Dread the thought; keep your job.
   
   
3. Maximize your free time.
   Instead, if you've been doing your job and are found blameless in any way, use your free time to take care of things off the checklist. Use your workout time to read wedding-related articles; Look for photos of what you like before you visit a store or meet with a vendor; Make phone calls while you're walking to/from the bus stop; Milk the 5-10 minutes you have on the night that your honey has offered to cook for the two of you. Remember: Organization is key, and efficiency is the lock that seals it.
   

Here's the schedule I try to follow...

During the Day:
Look for photos, research vendors, call vendors (Don't forget your list of questions to ask!).

During your Free Time:
Visit vendors, read articles, squeeze in the bridal bootcamp.

At Nighttime:
DIY projects, all of the above if scheduling allows.


This kind of juggling is less tricky for me since I'm a teacher. If I'm done with lesson planning and/or correcting papers, I create more free time for myself during my students' recess time. And I do my researching and planning online so that I can save it or e-mail it to myself (and Mr.). I've flirted with the idea of having my students do some of my DIY projects for extra credit (esp. if we decide to have a teacher theme since we teach at the same school) but I've decided that I'll spare them. :P

How are you managing to keep your full-time job and plan your wedding?