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Today is the first day back for a staff member who has been out since mid February fighting cancer of unknown primary origin. I haven't heard if she's heading in or working from home today, so i'll head in after my 7-8am meeting. (This one isn't going to be easy as i am instructing contractors who haven't impressed me with their ability to sort things out.)
The weekend was quiet and pleasant. I seem to be at an energy nadir, and see the patterns of self-distraction i recall from grad school. "I must read all of Usenet before starting on whatever it is i must be doing." I think this weekend my statement to myself that i have to address all the stuff that i have been avoiding -- poorly sorted stacks of stuff which may all be piffle, but may also include critical to-dos -- was a disappointment. Working on plant and photography is enjoyable and now a clear road to an unknown future. Going through things thrown into the Evernote incoming box and to-do lists written over the past few weeks with nothing checked off is not a clear road. All that task would trigger is a feeling of overwhelm: "Oh yeah, i said i was going to do that, too, didn't i. And it was due ... three days ago. Well, bother." The cognitive reward in that space is minimal.
OK, i know how to deal with it. I've done it before. Measure the stacks (pounds of paper, number of Evernotes and emails) and watch the numbers drop.
The weekend was quiet and pleasant. I seem to be at an energy nadir, and see the patterns of self-distraction i recall from grad school. "I must read all of Usenet before starting on whatever it is i must be doing." I think this weekend my statement to myself that i have to address all the stuff that i have been avoiding -- poorly sorted stacks of stuff which may all be piffle, but may also include critical to-dos -- was a disappointment. Working on plant and photography is enjoyable and now a clear road to an unknown future. Going through things thrown into the Evernote incoming box and to-do lists written over the past few weeks with nothing checked off is not a clear road. All that task would trigger is a feeling of overwhelm: "Oh yeah, i said i was going to do that, too, didn't i. And it was due ... three days ago. Well, bother." The cognitive reward in that space is minimal.
OK, i know how to deal with it. I've done it before. Measure the stacks (pounds of paper, number of Evernotes and emails) and watch the numbers drop.
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