Two days, two vastly different experiences. Yesterday I dragged. I can't exactly explain it. It was what it was. I'd planned to stay for our Lenten Soup Supper and worship service - but I just couldn't do it. And I knew if I did, I'd have a hard time completing the work I wanted to at home before Bridgette returned Friday evening. That, and I knew I'd be putting in nearly 12 hours today. I can't exactly say that anything led to yesterdays relative malaise - maybe the $442 I spent on brakes & oil change, maybe paying too much attention to Breaking News and maybe it was just a caffeine crash. Who knows. What I do know is this, today has been Worlds Apart - pun intended?While I was up late and woke up a couple times in the middle of the night, partly due to my breakfast plans, I got up early and showed up a few minutes late to a 7am breakfast at what is becoming more and more of a weekly excursion, Bob Evans. After that great breakfast, I headed in where I've pumped out a few pages of material, and answered some crucial e-mails. Whereas yesterday I was dragging, today I feel fairly energized. And it's not just the coffee - unless Bob Evans is much stronger than Tim Hortons, but honestly, I couldn't tell the difference. The only thing I can think of, and this goes back to a very personal thing for me - I'm a pressure guy. No, I don't always perform WELL under pressure, just ask friends and former teammates, but I do seem to get more energized when I'm under pressure. And if I've done the right preparation, I find myself much more focused and much more able to keep those distractions at bay that would sap my energy and leave me a lethargic turd on the couch.
The funny observation for me is that during my very first interview with the Committee on Preparation for Ministry with the Presbytery of the Pacific the Presbytery I was under care of and eventually ordained by in July, they asked me what my greatest weakness was. I offered up a throw-away - "procrastination." Honestly, who's going to share their most intimate struggles with a bunch of strangers the first time you meet? I got lambasted! They told me that procrastination wouldn't do in ministry, I wouldn't survive, that I should seek out the professional counseling offered at Princeton to eliminate this from my life before I entered ministry. Whoa! (my liason was blown away). Yes, I recognize that procrastination isn't exactly a gift. You can't survive life or ministry, working entirely in the "necessary & urgent" quadrant. HOWEVER, I remain a believer that at times, procrastination can be the best way to proceed. I mean, Jesus used procrastination successfully. I just need to keep aware of the big picture, and not rely on it as my only method of operation...
4 comments:
That is crazy, I would hate to be in front of a board like that. Especially since my biggie is that I don't take criticism well. Talk about a catch 22.
I just lived a week of the "urgent" the energy that accompanies it. Procrastination definitely provides energy and an adrenaline rush but as we know it doesn't always lead to the strongest results.
Your list of eateries could kill you by 2010 as well. I have nothing to say because Laurie and I (and the kids) just threw down some fish & chips, cheeseburgers, milk shakes, donuts, and ice cream cones in Seattle!
Many people think that the Procrastinator's Creed is "Always put off until tomorrow what can be done today." But I'll let you know the TRUE Procrastinator's Creed: "If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute to do."
This served me well throughout high school. Now... well, it's a 50/50 crap shoot.
Also--$442 for an oil change and brakes? Dude, next time your oil needs changed, let me know. Come down to my house and we'll do it. For $20. And there's a good chance we can do brakes as well (except drum brakes, they're a pain and I don't have the tools).
That's all I'm saying. Now it's time for me to get back to wasting time at work and waiting until 5:29 to start doing my actual job.
Dave - you don't like criticism...?
Jeff - indeed. I cannot live in that quadrant (necessary & urgent) all the time, but sometimes it's not a bad place to be.
Darren - yeah, about $20 is all I paid for the oil change, and of course it was the rear brakes, which needed drums replaced, that I had done. I'm with you, having replaced disk brakes on my very first car. If you've got the tools, it's nearly a no-brainer. Next time I need my disc brakes done, I'll call - but I'm hoping that's not for quite awhile!
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