Day 5 - 20 -- Unfocused Day

Saturday brings a host of indoor activities. Today half the laundry was completed and I managed to cook things to feed myself. <smile>  I worked on lectures for next week and had planned to do a couple of other tasks for course prep. Those just didn't seem to happen. It is hard not to see this as being lazy, though I'm sure my brain just wants a wee rest. Perhaps Sunday will bring a bit more impetus. I dislike doing things at the last minute with little time to focus yet if things don't get done on the weekend, time is rather tight on week days. Maybe watching a movie tonight might help me to feel I've had some me time and be better prepared to spend a few hours tomorrow finishing the small tasks left behind today.

What causes an unfocused day? Inadequate sleep plays a central role, but what about that lack of motivation? It certainly isn't a lack of caring about the task at hand. It might be other thoughts squeezing into the time set aside for something else. I am an inveterate list maker with rather infamous 'to do' lists. I have one for my weekly goals on my desk at work. This one is rather fluid given that other people can place things on the list. Shuffling the prioritization of listed tasks occurs several times throughout a day. The weekend 'to do' list at home includes both household, personal and work items. Perhaps that is the difficulty. The three realms may not fit well together for some lists, resulting in tasks that didn't make the list taking over -- usually personal time wishes instead of work needs. So, mixing needs, wants and wishes on the same list may the larger issue. If measuring success focuses on only one of the three domains, such as work needs, does that mean that all other tasks interfere -- in essence, squandering or misusing time? Wow. To alter this long-standing habit will take further thought.

The song line that ran through my head this evening matches these musings well -- well, the main concept not the full story-line of the lyrics. It is a song that I've always found thought-provoking from many vantage points. The rock band who first recorded this song often used country and folk overtones in their songwriting. Enjoy! 

Wasted Time -- The Eagles