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Though the meeting lasted less than an hour, it generated a hefty to-do list that was not there when I woke up that morning. The same thing happened yesterday, and I suspect it will repeat tomorrow.
That experience, in turn, led me to recognize the pattern as a variation on hoarding. I find common threads between an overcrowded basement and an overcrowded calendar. They both involve collecting and clinging: to stuff on the one hand, opportunities on the other.
Especially since retiring, I often find myself offering a reflexive "yes" to opportunities. I want to make good use of the time I have. I want to be helpful and to support the causes in which I believe. I am pretty good at resisting options that neither spark my passion nor align with my skills. My downfall comes with the abundance of opportunities that meet both criteria.
This morning, I am sitting at the coffee shop designing a new filter with a tighter grid. I want to develop a more effective process for determining which great ideas deserve to become commitments and which do not. This new filter requires a project to have intrinsic value and personal reward. The opportunity must also fit realistically with other priorities into the bigger picture of days and weeks ahead.
When the accumulation overflows, I can: a) drop some lower priorities; b) keep them but change the degree of engagement; c) ask for help; or d) create a bucket list and re-visit it later.
It is time for spring cleaning. My closets and drawers are cluttered with things I no longer want or need. My to-do list is cluttered with roles and responsibilities I have allowed to pile up unsorted. It is time to engage the discipline of evaluating, apply a thoughtful filter, and take the steps needed to simplify both space and time.
What about your closet? What about your list? What about your calendar? Is it time for a change?
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