It Seemed Important at the Time
On Monday mornings, I often sit down and try to map out the day and week ahead. To-do lists, calendars and the never-ending jumble of stuff that needs doing don't always play nicely together in my mind.
Occasionally, I come across a to-do list from days gone by and wonder why certain things made the top of the list that day.
As time marches on and life picks up the pace, it feels more pressing to get priorities right and not waste opportunities. There are two major issues that come into my deliberations on a regular basis.
The first relates to the ability to manage the "creative urge" ... or to allow it a window of opportunity to manage me. That "urge" often arrives inextricably entangled with a sense of "urge-ncy"; the fear that if we don't capture that thought, that idea, that technique, it will pass us by and be lost forever. (I may have mentioned this before, but Elizabeth Gilbert's brilliant TED talk on creative genius is worth viewing.) There is a real adrenaline rush when we allow ourselves the time to ride a creative surge and see where it might take us, but we can't surf that wave all day every day and still get the dishes done.
The second issue is that some of our most important priorities never get written down or put on any lists. Perhaps they are so present in our consciousness at all times that they don't seem to mingle well with the ordinary everyday tasks. But without any formal recognition or structure, those priorities may be continually pushed aside or postponed by more immediate calls on our attention. Good intentions are not enough.
These days, the question I ask myself is this: if I were to unearth today's to-do list in a week, a month, a year from now, would it make sense to me, or would I look at it and wonder "why did I think that was so important at the time?"
