First,
we need to establish an agenda for the day. So, what do you need
to get done? Mow the lawn? Paint the hallway? Shop for dinner?
Second,
what are the things that might prevent that from getting done?
I’ve
been thinking about distractions lately. A potentially more accurate
concept would involve clarifying the idea as thinking about the
things that prevent me from getting other things done.
In
some cases, they are not only unavoidable, they are not my creation.
If it’s raining from sunrise to sunset, there’s a good chance
you aren’t heading out to mow the lawn. You had gas for the mower,
time set aside in your day, and were ready to go. Not your fault.
Rain. One chore postponed.
If
we consider the things we can’t control one extreme, then procrastination
becomes the direct opposite. By that, I mean when you actually
avoid the work. Sure, you may blame the vacuum or the dogs for
not getting anything done, but chances are good you picked up
the tennis balls and headed toward the yard without any help from
the puppies.
It’s
the stuff in the middle I’m wondering about today. The things
that can distract you from getting work done.
Yesterday
I had some chores to finish and errands to run. A few to do on
my own. Some involved meeting up with a friend. And while there
were things I needed to get done, the availability of the friend
made yesterday a day where I put some other things to the side.
In a way, a distraction had been presented.
Would
I put off some items on the to-do list in order to grab a sandwich
with a friend? Yes, I think I would. I think the friend, and the
friend alone, could have distracted me from the intended path
of the day.
But
what things are important enough—enticing enough—to pull me away
from what needed to get done?
In
some ways, I think there’s actually a formula of sorts we can
develop. Some sort of rising significance, or perhaps even inversely
proportional considerations, that involve how difficult or unappealing
a specific project might be. The less we actually want to do something,
the more easily we can be lured away from it. The more important
a job is to complete, the less likely we will abandon it.
I
enjoy spending time with family and friends. It’s important to
me to invest in those relationships, and to move toward them when
it comes to spending time (whether dedicated or discretionary).
If my parents ask me to join them for an evening, and especially
if they need my help, I’m almost definitely going to do what I
need to in order to get to them.
All
of us have that list or priorities. The list, usually unwritten,
that covers the ground of this person… this item… this activity…
being more important than that. For the most part, it almost always
remains not only unwritten, but also unused. You make plans, and
with it a commitment, so that even if a conflict arrives you can
usually juggle things around a bit and sort out the conflicts.
It isn’t this OR that, but rather which now and which then.
When
something has to be done, you recognize that and act accordingly.
You don’t have to decide between mom and the significant other.
You can figure out how to peacefully accommodate both. (And should
there ever be a time when you do need to make such a decision,
take a deep breath and make the right one. You’re smart. Don’t
mess up the decision when the choice you face equates to mom or
the girlfriend.)
But
the distractions will come. Make no mistake, they are there. It’s
an art being able to get the things done that you need to get
done, and not heading to bed with a carryover on your list of
stuff to get done.
Except
for the lawn. You’ll never be finished with the lawn.