Protect Your Time
which is after all, your self
I’ve always been a big fan of schedules (and calendars and agendas and diaries…). When I was in high school I spent a significant amount of time planning my weeks with blocks for exercise, lunch, school, volunteering, work, etc. It gave me peace of mind knowing what to expect. And I was able to accomplish everything I wanted to accomplish. You might say I like routine which is funny because as much as I love routine and thrive with it, I will be the first to throw the routine out the window and be spontaneous.
As a mom, my time is no longer solely mine. Which is a story for another time, but I have become hyperaware—and hypervigilant—of how my time is spent. That doesn’t always mean I make the right choice or spend my time wisely and I am aware of that, too.
The other day a colleague and friend shared a line from someone’s signature block that said something to the effect of “My working hours may not be your working hours. Don’t feel obligated to respond immediately.” I love the spirit of this but it got me thinking, does that have to be said? We have become accustomed to instantaneous messaging. And yes, maybe it does have to be said because some people are demanding and don’t have boundaries and commandeer and disrespect others’ time. But I’d like to think (and hope and pray) that most people understand that if someone doesn’t respond within a few minutes or even an hour that it’s ok. Perhaps the person they’re trying to reach has something else going on in their life—a dentist appointment, a lingering lunch with an old friend, another work meeting, meditation, a sick child, or just hide and seek with that child :).
So, beautiful souls, savor and cherish every moment because our time on earth is unknown and finite. It’s all a delicate balance, isn’t it. We’ve got to get our work done but, as someone wisely told me when I first entered the workforce, “Sally, you have to decide when to stop because there will always be more work to do.”
“No one on his deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I had spent more time at the office.’”
