Combing the Llama – a short story about managing your time

Once upon a time, my then-husband and I went to a street festival, and there decided to buy at 3ft stuffed Llama. It was wearing a Peruvian blanket and was made of wire and straw and covered in Alpaca fur. I thought it was beautiful.

That Fall the Llama was a sad and unfortunate victim of a hurricane. Being one of our first purchases as a couple, it was sentimental, so, the sticky, soggy and plaster-covered creature was tucked away in a closet for future cleaning and presentation.

Fast forward a year; we were back on our feet in a swank little condo on the beach and having a housewarming party. We worked like demons at our jobs, so of course, prep for this party was last minute – we had 3 hours to get ready for 15 people, including overnight guests.

In the 3 hours available we needed to vacuum, dust, clean the kitchen and the bathrooms, change beds, ready the guest room, generally tidy, set the table, prep the appetizers, get the bar ready, wash the glassware and dinnerware so it was shiny and clean, shower, change, and look spectacular. I got to work – as the child of Italian immigrants, I could do housework! I vacuumed and polished, I dusted and scrubbed. In the meantime, I wasn’t hearing much action in the other rooms. Now down to our last hour, investigation was needed. There I discovered my husband sitting on the floor with my teasing comb—having done NOTHING to ready the house or himself for the imminently arriving horde —slowly and with great attention to detail, combing the Llama. Tweezing out chunks of dried plaster with surgical precision, combing out the yellowed, matted fur. Yes, the same dried-plaster covered creature that had been in the closet a solid year; NOW, was being prepped for the big reveal.

So in the 2 hours that I had spent making our condo party ready, all my (then) husband had to show for his investment was 5 inches of well groomed Llama butt. I was furious – he was confused. The Llama was a key part of showing off our new home! OMG- he couldn’t have worked on this while watching TV over the 10 months or so we had lived here? Would this make a better presentation to our guests? Would they prefer a combed Llama ass to perhaps a cocktail and some food? Would they enjoy sitting on newspaper piles and looking at our slippers and reading glasses on the dusty coffee table while admiring the Llama? WHAT WAS HE THINKING? WE HAD ONE HOUR TO PREP FOR 15 PEOPLE.

That incident was nearly 20 years ago. It taught me an unforgettable lesson and to this day, when I see people either at work or at home spending valuable hours on misdirected tasks, but with the best of intentions, it’s referred to as Combing the Llama.

When you have staff and a deadline, or kids and a (insert awful school or association obligation here), it’s up to YOU to think strategically about what will make the biggest positive impact using the least amount of energy. Time management is not about lists and reminders, alarm clocks and sticky notes –all that takes up more time than the time saved! Just avoid “Combing the Llama”. When you prioritize your day, your week, your project; think about this little story. Is what you are doing right now going to make a real difference – or are you Combing the Llama? I bet you make some different choices – and then have more time for wine.

Your secrets are safe with me, my friends…

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