Let's Start at the Very Beginning

A favorite song from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical, The Sound of Music, begins thusly:

"Let's start at the very beginning - a very good place to start... "

So today, we do just that. We begin with our two rules as we start the day

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.

These now sit in some prominent place in our workspace. With that, we're assured we won't forget them. We'll be sure to allow them to guide us today. 

With the Rules displayed, I go to my task list. OK, I've got this, that, the other thing lined up. Oh, and there's that extra item that popped up yesterday that I couldn't get to. So have I blocked out more than enough time to get these done? Yeah, it looks that way. 

Ready, set, go! The work day begins.

Task #1 gets full attention. It's one that's important and now, having put off getting it done, it's urgent. That combination makes it a perfect candidate for prioritization. 

Why was it put off? It's not a normal or usual task. It's going to take some deeper reflection, special research, creativity. The usual flow of normal, everyday work items requires mostly initiative and persistence. If needed, a cup of espresso, and we're off to the races. No special skills or creativity required; just the usual. But this task is different. So it takes a higher degree of concentration and and a special push. 

I'm up for it. Actually I have to be. We've got a conference call with various stakeholders in this project. They'll be waiting for my initial thoughts, assessment, and some sort of outline of where I'm going with my end of the project. That's less than a week away. And this will take more than one day's attention.

Got the first part of this done. Follow-ups get pushed off so I can get to my other tasks. So now it's on to Task #2. 

Wait, don't forget to take that break you need every once in a while - especially after Task #1: It took some extraordinary effort and concentration. Clear the mind now. Ahh, that's good. A fresh palette on which to sketch out and then tackle Task #2. Here we go.

...Almost finished, but, first, time for some prayer. Couldn't do this in the past. But now that our 2 Rules have begun to shape things up differently, there's time. Maybe 10 minutes? Sure, that'll work. 

In the past, it might be a few seconds at best. Now it's different. Why? Rule #2: "I will invariably have more things to do than time to do them." Read it again: Simple, eh. So simple it frankly escaped me for years - no, decades! But now that it sinks in, it does seem incredibly obvious. What was I thinking all those years of trying jam everything in - even stuff that's wasn't all that important or urgent?

Well, never mind all that. Just pray, take a breath, get back to work.

Whew, there goes the day. It's time to shut down and get on with personal stuff that need attending. That was a good day's work, so stopping now doesn't leave me anxious or wondering whether the "leftovers" will get done. How do I know this? Rule 2: "...as regards those that may or may not get done, I shall not worry about them."

Can't say I've got this down pat. I still get a bit anxious, although I'm not sure why? Habit? That's likely it. But that habit can be changed with the new habit of working with our new rules. 

Of that, I'm confident.