Exploring Efficiency

As the days of full-time employment wind down for me, I'm thinking about efficiency, how it has ruled my life for as long as I can remember. 

Efficiency has always seemed an essential. I don't know how people tackle life without it. But it has downsides, starting with how it stunts creativity. 

How does the mind roam free when the ticking clock of duties runs persistently in the background? Are there certain places and postures that help to dispel efficiency? Can one simply shut it off once it's no longer needed, or is one stuck with it?

I will be exploring these questions at length ... starting May 1. 

(My old office, where I was usually efficient.) 

Back to ...

I was going to say "the grind." But my job is too new to be a grind, and the commute is so variable these days that it can be called many things (many of them unprintable) but grind doesn't quite capture that either.

It's more accurate today to say back to...  the routine. I've not been in the office since December 22, and what a luscious time it's been: sleeping late, writing long, spending a couple of days away from home and century.

I'm not a big fan of routine, don't move easily in its placid waters, would rather be done with it. Even though I'll admit that routine is necessary and sometimes my salvation. But it is more anchor than prod — and today I re-enter it willingly ... but not eagerly.

Checking It Twice

This year, for the first time, my Christmas list is electronic. I'm using the "notes" feature of my smart phone.

It has worked surprisingly well — with one exception. There's no easy way to "check off" the purchased items. I'm making do by typing an asterisk beside each one.

How I wish I could draw a thick black line or make a decisive "X" through the gifts I've bought. I suppose I could just delete them, but that's no fun.

Makes me realize that a list is not just about what I have to do; it's about what I've already done. Checking off the finished tasks makes me feel competent and efficient — which at this time of year I most decidedly am not! All the more reason to crave the illusion.

It's a pathetic little revelation, but a revelation just the same!

Perpetual Motion

Today on my walk through the suburbs I listened to a violin piece by Paganini called "Perpetual Motion." This work goes up and down the scale in an almost manic manner,and it reminds me, I'll admit, of myself.

I've always liked to be on the move. I enjoy walking, running, biking, swimming — activities that keep the old body moving. This is fine, of course, good for the heart and lungs and large muscles. It's good for the mind, too; it scours away worries and anxieties.

Perpetual motion can be a problem, however, especially when you don't allow yourself time to process one task or emotion before you move on to the next. In that case, efficiency can be counterproductive. It stifles creativity, which thrives in a looser loam. So as I was walking I vowed to be less productive in the future. Not today, though. I have too much to do!