Time Trap

Those of us who tend to procrastinate tend to rationalize it by saying, "I work best under pressure."

Really?

Surely there are some professions where seconds of lost time make the difference between life and death, but, luckily, I am not in one of those.

I don't think I would be a failure in those situations.  I have had to make split second decisions with real and lasting impact, but not on the scale of a surgeon, fire fighter, emergency medical technician or the like.

For me, the consequences of a sudden change in priorities or a delay in meeting a goal are not earth-shattering.

Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.' Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  - James 4:13-14

In today's reading, James holds a mirror up to the planner and the procrastinator, offering a glimpse at the sobering reality that tomorrow isn't ours to claim.

Of course I know that.  I even coach others on the value of taking time each day to focus on what is important, whatever that may be.  And this time that I spend reading and reflecting on Scripture is one aspect of that effort to set aside time for today.

But I have to confess that I have not perfected the art of time management, assuming it is an art, or that time is manageable at all.

I have talked about the time trap before, but I am revisiting it because it lies at the heart of a conversation I had last night.

I attended a networking group for people in transition, between jobs, between careers, between a rock and a hard place.

One woman was so stressed over her need to find a job quickly to support her family, that she couldn't imagine taking time each day to do anything for herself.  It is almost impossible to make a good impression in an interview when under stress.  So, we might make better use of our time, by setting some time aside to decompress.

That's hard to do when every minute counts.  And when doesn't every minute count?

When it comes to getting any work done, the frame of mind matters, but unfortunately, we aren't taught how to frame our mind for work, play, rest and activity.  We just keep going and going and going until we burn out.

One of the things I try to do each day is take a walk.  It began as a way to burn calories so I could lose weight, enjoy an occasional snack, and hopefully firm up a bit.  What it has become is a challenge and an enjoyable one at that.

While I walk, I listen to an audio book and that keeps me focused.  If my mind starts to drift back to worries or work, I lose track of what the narrator is saying, so I have to concentrate - on the book and on where I am walking.  That's enough multi-tasking to keep me busy.

I don't always have time to take my walk when I want to, but I found that  making it a priority helps me tackle other priorities with ease.

I may not be able to avoid the trap of letting time control me, consume me or distract me, but I know it is possible to be more productive in how I spend it, if that is the priority.

I am still tackling the life balance issue, but I don't feel overwhelmed.  Not yet, anyway.

Maybe because I have learned another lesson as well.  I've learned to ask for help.