Managing Our Days….
This blog is written in response to a blog posted on 2/27/2012, titled “On Time…”, at http://www.shaunaniequist.com/.
Shauna, Shauna, Shauna. I regret being the bearer of potentially discouraging news. You’re young, in your thirties. I waved goodbye to my thirties awhile back and can attest to the fact that the challenges you describe in your blog are not part of a process we conquer in one effort and move on. I suspect you realize that.
I love what your friend Dense said about: “it’s not hard to decide what you want your life to be about, but that the hard thing is deciding what you’re willing to give up in order to do those things”. I’m going to make a concrete list of Things I Do and Things I Don’t Do, as you did. Thanks for sharing this simple worthwhile suggestion.
I relate to your lamenting regarding hustling and rushing. I delight in days when my productivity is high and my mental and physical energies are vibrant and in sync.
Then there are days that escape me, like a dog running amuck – his leash trailing – while I’m racing behind gasping for air, trying to close in enough to stomp on the leash and bring the day to a skidding halt.
I have figured out for myself – that any given day’s achievement quota is largely influenced by the momentum with which I begin it . Once in motion, I tend to remain so. When I allow what I perceive as the provocative magic of morning, to dissipate while I sputter about with unfocused intentions, I piddle away time I later scold myself about.
Mornings usher in multitudes of possibilities in daybreak’s unassuming arrival. Sunny days are fine, but sunlight grows harsh and contrasty through the afternoon. If I’m not in gear well before then, the probability of accomplishment fizzles out of me like steam from a boiling tea kettle. Rainy days seem to prolong morning’s atmosphere. Maybe that’s why I welcome them.
As often as I’ve failed, my time management victories are just sufficient to keep me on the path of desiring to “master my domain”, (à la Seinfeld), at least in a productivity sense. Consistently maximizing achievement on a daily basis is a heady experience I’m not sure I would handle well. The ongoing struggle’s a definite ego tamer.
A Few Time Management Tips
1. Don’t answer your phone every time it rings, even if you can.
2. Limit unannounced visitors at home.
3. Begin your day with steady momentum
4. Don’t forego rare or once in a lifetime opportunities – to tend to recurring onslaught tasks like washing dishes, doing laundry etc. They can well afford to be put off on an as needed basis.
© 2012, Savannah Walters / All Rights Reserved
