How to Build the Habit of Following Our New Rules for the Work Day

Having recognized last time that our world and moi are fallen and fragile, it's time to try to build the habit of consistently applying our two "new" rules as each work day begins. By way of reminder, here they are again:

1. I will always take more time than is necessary to do everything. This is the way to avoid being in a hurry and getting excited.

2. Since I will invariably have more things to do than time in which to do them, and this prospect preoccupies me and gets me all worked up, I will cease to think about all I have to do, and only consider the time I have at my disposal. I will make use of that time, without losing a moment of it, beginning with the most important duties; and as regards those that may or may not get done, I shall not worry about them.

Once applied, in order to more steadily and securely build the habit of following our rules, it's important to take stock when the work day ends: How'd you do? So we'll focus on the "How'd you do?" for a bit until we're noticing more consistency and facility.

Last time we noted the recent speed-bump we hit. That speed bump bumped our desired times for prayer during the day (which could be anything from brief aspirations, the rosary, or praying the Divine Office). So what happened there? It turns out both #1 and #2 suffered the slings and arrows of our underwhelming effort to enforce either.

For #1, we simply didn't set aside "more time than necessary." We had, in fact been doing this successfully for a spell. Did our recent success cause complacency to settle in? Yes. Add a flood of tasks - some requiring a stretch of our skill set - that had to be constantly reshuffled and rescheduled over 3 days. Obviously, with that combination we had met our match.

To address the complacency, we're going to look at these rules every day - not just once in a blue moon - until they prove to be virtually unassailable. I found a comparison to my fitness routines helpful here.

When I work out, I try to change my routines on a regular basis. Not every day necessarily (although I do apply stretches of daily change from time to time). But when the routine seems too easy or just "feels" rote, I know it's time to find something else that will keep my mentally sharp - which inevitably results in better physical results.

The comparison applies not only to avoiding complacency, but also to the particular incident of facing a stretching of skill set. I will, from time to time, look for a type of exercise that, for me, is completely outside the my usual box. A recent example: I found and followed a "barre" routine (something used by dancers) for about 8 weeks. I'm no dancer (not even close!) so this was, to say the least, a stretch. But it was effective in causing muscle confusion (a technique used to avoid complacency in exercise).

Now, to be sure, I'm always looking to stretch my skill set. Last week, though, the skills needed were thrust on me with a very short deadline. Without boring you with the details, I wound up sort of obsessing on gaining the necessary skills and thought I could not do so by following my new rules. Maybe I was right. But I'm determined to not make excuses here. Next time something similar pops up, I'll do my best to get done what needs to be done within the constricts of those two rules.

And in case we've forgotten the point of those rules, it's to assure that we spend good quality time building our interior life. The rules help to corral our work and free up our time on an ongoing basis.

And let's not forget that our Interior Life will return the favor by both boosting our intention to work for the greater glory of God, and providing the "space" we need during the day to recollect ourselves and renew that intention. How does it do this? Think of it this way: If we're consistent in applying ourselves to extended prayer, either formal (fixed prayers) or mental (a form of simply thinking about and talking to God), we'll inevitably find moments where we want Him to know He's first on our list, that no matter how busy we might be His greater glory takes precedence over all our other efforts and intentions throughout the work day.

So having faced this latest challenge to applying Rule #1, what about Rule #2. Issues arose with that as well. We'll look at these next time.