Now more than ever, I find myself facing an interesting quandary. With nothing but time on my hands, I feel the need to use every moment of that time doing something incredibly productive. Of course there’s nothing inherently wrong with that desire; however, the quandary arises – in my case – when attempting to determine just what those “incredibly productive” moments should be, and acting on them accordingly.
When a clear set of priorities has been placed before me in a professional/academic setting, I have no trouble adhering to them in my generally very proactive nature. That said, when the priorities are mine to determine, I must admit that I lack the decisiveness to turn ample time into productive achievements. Despite waking early each morning with the intent of making the most of my days, my mind seems to bounce between a plethora of ideas without actually committing to a logical progression of priorities. As a result, I usually end up with a day far less productive than the one I had initially conjured in my own head. I should mention that lists are helpful, but only to the extent that I actually make them on a regular basis, and that the tasks themselves are reasonably manageable.
On the bright side, there are a few minor things that have become routine in the absence of decisiveness. As a matter of fact, I have been writing, reading and brain training more frequently than ever.
Beyond that, I find myself constantly trying to determine what would be the best use of my time given my circumstances. This is most likely due to the fact that I tend to put forth overly ambitious objectives rather than building a reasonable foundation of achievable daily goals.
The result? Countless moments that often feel wasted due to my own indecisiveness. When my mind can’t settle on one thing, it tends to settle on nothing…and that’s when the semi-shameless Netflix marathons begin. All of a sudden I find myself half way through season one of “The West Wing,” wondering where the last three hours of my life went.
Nevertheless, over the last couple of weeks I have come to recall just how precious every moment in time is, and just how important it is to ensure that I don’t waste them. Not to say that “The West Wing” is always a waste of time…but rather that every moment should be recognized and appreciated for what it’s worth. Relaxing moments are just as vital as productive ones…creative moments are just as crucial as critical thinking ones…slow-paced moments are just as important as those that fly by…etc.
As such, I will do my best moving forward to make the most of them all; every moment deserves to be appreciated for all that it has to offer. I intend to make the most of the brief transitional period I now find myself in.
No one is a slave, nor a victim to their own circumstances. The overall productivity and joy that is to come in the days ahead is (and always has been) contingent upon my willingness to carry on in the positive spirit of that same productivity and joy.
All will be well.
On My Mind 
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