Ever notice how you’ll have some days where you’ll have nothing going on, and others you’re struggling to find a place to squeeze in meal time? Between school, my improv troupe, a presentation due tomorrow, and my sister spending time in the area with her four boys, I can barely breathe.

Beyond that, today is the night of a show I’m going to that I’ve literally been waiting over a month for, and also a friend of mine (who is in the troupe) lost her dog. So on top of everything that’s normally going on on my Wednesday (when I’m writing this), I need to put time away for those things, too. (That isn’t to say I don’t want to help her find her dog by any means, of course. I’m not a monster.)

But it’s never the stress in your life that kills you, its how you react to it. I’m not upset that I don’t have free time today, (obviously even the people around me have bigger problems) I’m just trying to hold everything together. Today’s a day where I naturally have to make sure my priorities are in line.

First things first, I have to make sure the people around me are as happy as possible. Going out of my way to make that happen does not make it any less mandatory. If anything it makes it a higher priority because people around them will be less likely to make that leap. If you can brighten somebody’s day through authenticity you should always do it, even if you’re a stranger. People don’t forget things like that.

Second, school and personal commitments are important as well. I need to make sure everything I need to get done today does. Blog post (obviously) and homework, plus my presentation. I can breathe on that because beyond the blog post, my presentation isn’t until seven pm tomorrow, so I should have time to finish what I need to.

Last on my priorities are my social obligations. I don’t have to run my improv troupe today. Yes, it would undoubtedly inconvenience people but if I have to make sacrifices I will. I don’t have to see that show tonight but I’ve made plans to do it and its the only time it’ll ever happen, so I’ll feel bad if I can’t do it, but it won’t harm anything other than my relationship with that friend who’s coming with me. I also don’t have to make any effort to spend time with my sister. Yes, it’s polite, but I will see her again. Nobody ever drops what they’re doing scrambling to meet somebody they see every six months. Beyond that, I’m old enough to be able to override my family’s wishes (within reason) and what they want me to do. If I was doing the presentation tonight, for example, nobody would stop me if I stayed home to work on it. It isn’t as though I would enjoy doing it, after all.

So I hope you get through your day without any missteps. It’s not easy, I know, but as long as you plan ahead you can probably avoid unnecessary casualties.