Day 36

Today is a half work, half home day, but mostly I havent gotten anything in either place done. BUT--that is all about to change as I have found a comfy place in a local Panera bread to write. This Panera is different than the other and a little farther out. Good floor plan. Music is a little loud, but so far I give it 4.5 stars for book-writing locale.

I have spent a lot of time in the last 36 days trying to figure out what time is, and how best to manage it. I gave up my 40 and hour a week (sometimes more) job and still I find that I am not getting every done I would like. It is curious how life fills in the gaps like that.

And so I have been investigating this. Because I would hate to think that the couple hours a week that I have seemed to clear up are the only hours that weren't booked when I was working full-time. That means that I was only devoting a few real hours to working as a Vice-president of a company. And I know that it took a lot of time - so....I must have filled it up w/ other stuff. What could that be, I ask myself... here is the list so far:

I have noticed that I am being less inconveniencing to others. I try to drive to them, or go father if I am meeting someone to accomodate them. In fact today I think I spent a whole hour in the car that I wouldn't have otherwise. In this case I think this use of time is good. I was taking advantage of other people a bit in my hurried busy life. And if I can help them out by coming to them or meeting them someplace more convenient...or even hanging the meeting times, that is a lifestyle change I can make right now.

I did spend a fair amount of time planning the parties for my son and father over the last few weeks. Again, time well spent.

I have been catching up w/ old friends, via phone, email or in person. This has been a good thing too.

Shopping - it is the holidays, and naturally I have been shopping. Tis the season.

Writing for Ellie - that is about 6-8 hours now.

And I would like to say that the house work is getting done. (But it isn't).

I am still just as tied to my computer in the evenings as I was before. I seem oddly unable to disconnect as the laptop is some sort of security blanket--a connection with the outside world. Perhaps I fear that without it I will become dull and old--missing the technology trends and the ability to track aircraft, weather all over the world, the stock market, the latest pictures of Britney Spears... I need to find a better way to deal with this addiction. Since as with most addictions, I feel that I do not need any help, that I have it under control, and yet, if I look at it realistically, there is no need for me to check my book rankings on Amazon every day...let along 15 times a day. Email can be read a few times a day, not every time something comes in. The flights, even if I am picking someone up, need only be checked right before I would leave in case the plane has been delayed.

So many of us are like this. Letting that connection with the world via the Internet control us, instead of controlling it. Having this technology and the ability to use it are a blessing and in some cases vital to our jobs and lives, and yet in so many ways it has taken over. Perhaps some new technologies will come along and actually allow us to disconnect and still feel connected.

I am working on that now. In my free time.

- Meg