Friday, May 31, 2013
Manoj showed a very interesting video on procrastination to impress upon the participants to take their 3 hour training slot very seriously. Waiting till the last moment to prepare for the class is very tempting, but very risky.
The video showed the ingenious excuses one conjures up for procrastination.
Making a cup of tea, time spent on ruminating, checking e-mails, looking out of the window for 30 minutes, making another cup of tea, discussion with friends over tea, checking mails…………..
Finally, one’s work does not get done.
Lucky that Manoj does not know me well enough. Otherwise he would have used my smart methods and excuses for procrastination as a much better and more telling case study.
Here is my smart way at procrastination. These days, I silence the alarm on my mobile and go back to sleep in the morning. When I happen to wake up, I too make tea to start the day.
After the morning run, the day moves in slow motion or it may be me moving in slow motion. Watching instructional videos, meditation are things I do by habit. At times, I overdo the meditation part, when I get some time. Then I flip through the newspapers. Mercifully, I do not spend too much of time over them. Then I spend quite some time with Lolakutty.
The fact is, I reach the office late. I do some work during those rare moments when I am not engaged in checking mails, (my two personal mails and 3 or 4 official mails). I keep learning even in office, going through interesting blogs about productivity, marketing strategies etc. Then I even go through my personal mails and read some, respond to some. Then I stare blankly at the ceiling. I come home for lunch and the freedom alone affords me time to watch TV to find out what is happening around the world. Then I make tea. Then I vacantly look outside from the veranda. Sometimes, I write on my blog. Then I spend time with Lolakutty.
Listening to even the best of personal growth videos or meditations or reading blogs during work hours are certainly distracting activities because they take my focus away from work. Discipline in attending to works at office is something I should cajole into my existence. There is a time and place for everything. When it is time for business, my focus should be only on work related to business. When it is time to focus on my personal growth, I should nurture those hours with devotion.
I have tried before and resolved many a time to do precisely those things I want to do, when they ought to be done. I prepared elaborate routines and schedules to fill up in the morning and stick to during the remaining part of the day. Plans come unstuck after a few heroic days of efforts.
Things in the office are picking up well and all it needs for great momentum building is my push.
In the morning of last Friday, on May 31st, I saw a mouse which had somehow slipped in between the last slanted glass and mosquito net in my bathroom window. Initially I thought it would chew the mosquito net or do something else to get out. But it was at the same place even after about 5 hours. I felt sorry for that mouse and felt like helping it find its way out. Then the fear gripped me – what if the mouse jumped, forcing its way through the mosquito net and got into my shirt or shorts? Imagine the mouse salivating in the vicinity of my nuts!
Then I mustered courage and I climbed on a stool, armed with a thin knife, intending to open the net a wee bit and lift the glass just enough with the knife, for the mouse to find its escape route.
What happened surprised me no end. The mouse saw me stand up on the stool and move my hands towards the mosquito net. It then stood up, coolly climbed over the sliding glass and slid down to a happier world.
Most often, the difference between a life of bleak ordinariness and rainbows is a small push, a little effort.
Then we will be able to cut through the nets and limiting beliefs which hold us captives.
Fear gave the mouse the energy to clamber to freedom. What is going to give me the energy?
Desire? Fear?Thoughts of redeeming myself finally?
There are rituals for everything in life. There are several for managing time effectively. I know them all too well.
It is time I challenged myself.