A little at a time

It is crunch time at work as we've got a pretty serious deadline coming up. There are two good things to report about this, though: first, this is actually a rare event at the firm where I work. In fact, overall I've worked more "normal" hours at this job than in most of the gigs I've had. Secondly, management offered a very generous "comp-time" program so extra hours I might work now can be put towards time off later (say, DXpedition time!).
Because I'm putting in extra hours in the office, I'm not spending too much time thinking about radio stuff right now. That said, this is an excellent time to work on some of those long lead-time items. I've already ordered (and received) my new Pelican case, ordered that Force-12 antenna, and have started doing some work on yet another trip (which I've not disclosed here) that won't take place until some time next year.
Though I'm not spending too much time each day on these planning activities, I am spending some time every day on this effort. I've also begun carrying a little notebook with me to jot down ideas as they come to me. Oddly enough, I've had some worthwhile ideas sort of hit me out-of-the-blue and the notebook has helped me keep track of these little gems. I know I've probably beat this topic to death but a successful DXpedition depends on good planning. The best planning, in my opinion, is done a little at a time, over a long period of time. So, even though I'm really busy at work, I believe I'm still making good progress on some of these trip plans in those few minutes I spend on them each day.
I may try to take some time on Saturday to trundle off to Mount Wachusett for the CQ VHF contest. It doesn't really do anything to help me prepare for a DXpedition--it is just a fun contest! And, I'm sure by then I'll need a little break from work.