Tuesday, January 22, 2008

So I sit down to decide

I'm faced with a decision: I could manage my time better by applying any number of techniques I've used in the past, though frankly I don't really want to do it. I'm tired. Or I could shut out the world and pour all my attention into the tasks that I want to get done.

  • The advantage of managing my time is that it's more sustainable---if I accept that what I get done every day is going to be incremental and feel very small. I personally have little patience for incremental change, which is why I probably suck at it. The one exception to this is when I am actually observing incremental change in PEOPLE...that fascinates me, because each small change in a person's behavior can indicate something much larger. I guess I am naturally curious about what makes people tick, not the number of ticks I can count.

  • The advantage of shutting out the world is that it is a more exciting commitment to action; kind of an adventure, really. I like getting ready for adventures, strategically planning my moves, getting everything ready for the big push. The problem is that it is an expensive contextual switch, on the order of planning a vacation without the relaxation, and it always burns me out at the end. This may, however, be the natural way I work by myself. It is a recurring pattern.

My gut reaction is that I should avoid going into hermit mode, but instead triage what I am focusing on.

1 comment:

Murali said...

For the benefit of the nescient

Noun : Triage

Sorting and allocating aid on the basis of need for or likely benefit from medical treatment or food

Good post..Especially to highlight the usage of nice little bullets...

One more subscriber to this radical school of thought, which is fast emerging as the vox populi...

I'm independent...I like to do things my way...I'll live in my world where I have control over most things and I shall pursue action/adventure in its purest form! Man is a social animal? Pish tosh!! My rolex here tells me that I'm losing time thinkin about this drivel! Its a great day to be singin a song and its a great day to be movin along...


Well at one point i felt is he steppin on his own toes with this anta? How can he observe human nature and their ticks when he's shut the world out? Then I thought yeah its possible as people pass him by, while he eats his planned lunch sittin on the bench at the park...And rejoins his colleague at work (no hermit mode here no sireee)

I wish you all the best in your adventures mags :)