Yesterday, I went to a presentation on time management, where the woman who presented wisely told us the goal of good time management is to have more time to do the things we enjoy most. Aha number 1. I was thinking that it was so I could feel more organized, which I enjoy, but not quite as much as vacations in sunny, warm places, a good yoga class, or time with friends.
She also said that in order to do this, our goal should be to have only 50% of our time scheduled in any given day, and to spend 2-5% of our day planning for each of next week, next month, the next 6 months, the next 2 years, the next 5 years, the next 10 years. Aha number 2. Perhaps this was why I was feeling perpetually in a hurry and behind lately. A couple of us rattled off our stacked schedules for the day. She reminded us if we did that on a regular basis, there was no room for any errors, for anything to go wrong, or to handle unexpected things that come up. I silently added that there wasn't a lot of time for God or spirit when my schedule is that full, either.
Today, I woke up sick. Aha number 3.
I wondered with my spiritual reflection group on the phone in between two two-hour naps, why it was that I had to be ill in order to give myself permission to have a low-key kind of day. This is not, unfortunately, a new reflection, but rather like an old, worn slipper, or acquaintance I haven't visited in awhile. Hmmm. Apparently, I still have the illusion that busy is better in some way. I am curious by nature, so I am interested in many things. I struggle with setting limits on how many things I can be involved in because they are all so interesting. Even though I know that there is a definite tipping point where quality starts to suffer, and I hate that. Which is often when I get sick.
The good news is that I did take those naps and am feeling much better. In addition, it is my goal to begin to leave gaping open spaces in my calendar in order to handle the ever-growing task list on my outlook calendar. I love learning about new ways to take care of myself, and I sense this one is key--though another key will be ongoing permission to keep that space in my calendar. It might help if it had a wonderful name, like "Spontaneous Productivity Time!" or "Task List Tango Time!"
Meanwhile, I have a date with a fuzzy blanket, a cup of tea, and a nice, warm puppy......
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