I'm Not Letting This Go - So Here Goes Again - 2

So how am I going to apply our two rules today? (Like I said last time, I'm not letting this go.) To refresh, 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.

First thing, I check my task list. Ideally I did this at the end of the previous day's work to prep for the next day. As I've mentioned in the past, I've got the week's work written out, typically on a single sheet of paper. With that in hand, I check the list each day to make any necessary adjustments for that day and next day. What I envisioned the week before getting done each day this week doesn't always play out as planned. So I adjust to the present reality.

Despite my having almost everything related to my business in digital form, I like pen and paper for my task list. It's always there, on my desk. I like to physically cross items out as I work through the day and through the week. It feels good to run the pen through the item. It's a simple as that.

So the night before I look at next day's items and figure out how long I think it'll take to get them done. Then I add on time. How much? Well, I've been at this for a bit, so I'm getting the hang of knowing how much. I've got no formula to pass on. You just have to work this and get the hang of it. That's my best advice.

With that, the day begins at a set time. I start pronto on item #1. Unless there's a good reason, I finish that item. Then it's on to the next item. 

Another wrinkle on my end: During the day, as mentioned in the past, I use a timer to break up the day into chunks. They typically last 33 minutes and 33 seconds. (I don't know how I came up with this, but it's been in effect for a number of years now. It works for me. Oh, and I just noticed recently that tradition tells us Our Lord lived 33 years on this earth. Coincidence?)

I've been leaving enough time, for the most part, to "avoid being in a hurry and getting excited." Being calm and steady usually produces my best work. More importantly, by not being in a hurry and getting excited, I can pause to pray more often during the day. 

I've struggled with making time for prayer for years. And, to be fair, there are days where some deadline or meeting does cause me to forego planned prayer time. That's OK. I'm not a monk, even if I am, in a certain way, emulating the orderly prayer life of monks in monasteries who pray the Divine Office at fixed times throughout the day. (I've actually had a few days where I've managed to hit all the "Hours" and prayed the Divine Office prayers. I couldn't do this if I were in a hurry or excited.)

The goal is to have fewer exceptions. That's where Rule #2 comes in. Before I even begin the day, I already know I've got more items to do than time to do them. As we've already seen, if we prioritize properly, there's no problem. The important and urgent stuff gets done. The rest can spill into tomorrow if necessary. 

With that, you "close the book" at the end of the day. You can do this. Really. Keep working at this and you gain confidence: I know I'll get to what needs doing, even if I didn't get it done today. And since I finished all the important items that needed finishing today, I'm good. 

Progress made on my end so far in applying these rules: Not bad. Do I press every button, hit every mark, end the day with a big smile on my face? No way. Life doesn't work that way. But do I get close more days than not. Yeah. That's something.

And, yes, there's most definitely been more time to build my Interior Life - the whole purpose of using these two rules. And, yes, there's been spillover on a "practical" level. Work's been getting done more fully, efficiently, and, because of that, been more satisfying.

The combination of practical and spiritual progress has a lot going for it.