Things I’m Avoiding Doing Day Seven – Do You Really Not Have the Time?
I don’t come off very well in this story, but not long after my family and I moved to America, I sat down to prepare a log of how much time I was spending on all my work projects so that I could persuade my wife I really didn’t have “extra time” to help out with the house and kids. To my dismay, I found I was spending less than two hours a day actually working and ten to twelve hours thinking about what there was to be done.
While I was aware that giving myself time for reflection opened me up to creativity, I was equally aware that obsessively thinking about the same things for days on end was a great way of closing down the creative flow. I never did show my wife my time log, but I did start volunteering to help out with a lot more tasks around the house. And as soon as I had less time or inclination to overthink everything, I started to get considerably more done in considerably less time.
If it feels like the reason you’re avoiding doing something is that you don’t have time, check the assumption for yourself. If it turns out to be true, then feel free to take it off your list – you’re not avoiding it, you’re just nor prioritizing it. But if it turns out to be a lovely story you tell yourself, consider dropping the story about why you’re not doing it and get on it, get into it, and get it done!
PS – What would you find most helpful for me to speak to in these daily missives? What are you bumping up against in your own December challenge? Share your questions in the online forum with the header “Topic request” and I’ll do my best to address them in future posts!