Baci helping with my homework: The secret of my successI've been taking a class in coastal navigation for sailing at the Edgewood Sailing School in Rhode Island. For the first time in many years, I've had homework to do.

This past week I got my homework done very early. It was for the last scheduled class. Certificates were issued to mark our accomplishments. And while I was happy to have learned so much, on my way to class, I also felt kind of disappointed that I wouldn't have any MORE homework to do. Eh? What is that about?

I often had way too much homework to do when I was in school. My high school teachers admitted to my mother that they would frequently assign more than was possible to accomplish because they didn't think anybody would actually try to do it all.

At college, the problem of too much homework compounded into crushing workloads that left me sleep deprived and frustrated by my inability to complete all that was asked of me. And yet, most of the time, it would be hard to say that I did anything other than excelling at getting the things done that truly needed to be done.

As a consequence of such inside out thinking, it has come as a surprise that it is even possible for me to want more homework to do.

I still can't do everything that is asked of me by others. I ask even more of myself. There is still laundry and dishes and walkies for the dog, and getting meals on the table, and all the stuff for the business to take care of. So, why is it possible not only to find time to study navigation, but to do the homework, and to still have the sense that more could be done? Why am I willing to invest my time in this set of tasks? How on earth am I managing it, when others had to drop out of the class due to their time commitments? Believe me, as all busy working women know, I have plenty of time commitments, too.

In my experience, the answer to those questions is that there are tasks that drain energy and tasks that give energy.

For me, anything having to do with sailing seems to give back more energy than it takes. Going to the gym takes time, but it also gives back energy so it is a net win. Walking the dog is another net plus.

Net minuses exist too. Clearing out the, ahem, narsty email may only take a few minutes, but it often leaves me feeling a little bit poisoned. Watching TV can be either a net minus or a net plus depending on the content, so it is unreliable. Oddly enough, household chores like cleaning the kitchen are pretty neutral.

Here's the amazing thing that you, my dear Life Balance™ users, can begin to make direct use of today. When the balance of effort in that "desired" pie chart in Life Balance that you apply to tasks on your to do list, tips, ever so slightly, in favor of the tasks that bring energy you get a sense that what you can do feels almost unlimited. Doing my navigation homework makes doing the laundry less of a drag. Carving out just a little bit more "play time" makes everything else run better. Everything happens with a lighter heart.

It is okay to shout out an enthusiastic "bring it on!" for any task, even something as unlikely as navigation homework, if it brings you more energy and happiness. The time you spend on that is not going to take you away from your "responsibilites" or make other things not happen. You don't have to grimace and slog through endless net minus tasks. On the contrary, having more than enough tasks that are sources of energy will empower you to do everything else. When you are at the top of your game, those around you who depend on you will also reap the benefits as you dance a little more deftly through the day.

While you are planning your activity for the week, don't be tempted to skip whatever in your life is the equivalent of your navigation class. Don't cut out the tasks that are a source of energy as being self indulgent. Take careful note of the tasks that provide the fuel that will make your energizer bunny's jet engine run. Plan for more effort applied to that. Do what you can to mitigate the tasks that drain, with the understanding that there may be times when the only way out is through.

When you get to the point where the number of plusses add up to be greater than the minusses, you'll know, by how quickly you gain momentum not just in that one area, but among all your other projects too.

Incidentally, I needn't have worried, our sailing instructor's last homework assignment for the course was to make up more navigation questions for ourselves, reminding us that somewhere out there the final exam will take place, unannounced, on the water.

That confirmed the messages that I had already received from my heart which also said, "Go forth and dead reckon!"