The Crush of Time, Part 1
I’ve been feeling the crush of time more intensely over the past couple of weeks, and especially over the past couple of days that usual, probably more so since I’ve returned back from vacation. This may be a signal that I’m only starting to recognize that’s trying to tell me I need a break, I’m not sure yet. I thought that writing about the topic may help me understand it better.
In one way, when I talk about the crush of time, I mean always being concious of a physical or mental timer, timing my activities. Right now, I have a timer going in my head that’s going to expire, probably before I’m ready to start writing, so that I can feed and walk the dog, then move into the primary responsibilities of my day. As I’m walking the dog, I’ll walk a specific route, at a more-or-less concious pace, knowing that if I do so, I’ll get back by the end of the time window I have allocated to walk the dog. Then the work day begins for me.
Like many consultants, I work for my clients on an hourly basis. This means I need to track my time in order to accurately bill my clients. Because of this, the clock is always present. I’ve learned and have finally convinced myself over the past couple of years that my mind has a finite capacity to focus intense mental energy on specific tasks. Reading “Your Brain at Work”, by David Rock, just over a year ago, went a long way in helping me understand this. As a result, I’ve come to learn that taking breaks during the day is key to being at my best when I’m working.
To make scheduling, which I’ve also come to learn is one of the more mentally taxing activities we perform on a regular basis, less of a burden, I have tried to implement some consistency in my daily schedule. The flexibility of working mainly from home is fantastic, however I’ve come to understand that establishing consistency in my day helps me not spend too much time thinking through the ideal schedule each and ever day. This, in turn, allows me to conserve mental resources that are better spent on creative problem solving activities or other client work throughout the day.
On the flipside, having a set schedule for each day means that each activity in the day is time-boxed. So no matter what I’m doing, it feels like there is stopwatch floating just above eye level, a few feet in front of me, reminding me how much time I have left for my current activity, whether it’s completing work for a client, taking a quick walk outside on the pier to clear my mind, or getting in a workout on my bike.
Add to this ever-present stopwatch that’s always following me around the feeling that there are always at least twice as many things that I’d like to do than I actually have the time to do, then I start to really feel the pressure. I think for now that’s going to be the subject of part two, since my stopwatch is reminding me that it’s time to wrap this up, feed the dog, take her for a walk, and keep moving through my day ;)