Work Habits

One of my most often induced sources of irritation is that phrase, “I didn’t have time…” It is used by old and young alike, most often in conjunction with an explanation for why they have not fulfilled a task that was their responsibility. (You should see the look on my face when one of my piano students tries that excuse. They don’t ever try it a second time…) I seriously doubt that there is any person who has so many responsibilities that they honestly don’t have time to fulfill them. The truth of the matter is that they have chosen to use their time doing something else. Perhaps something pleasurable – like reading a book; or something necessary – like eating a meal; or something mundane – like sleeping; or something worthy – like spending time with their family.

Now, I certainly don’t advocate being a work-a-holic, though I confess I do have tendencies toward such, but if one has committed to doing something, it should be a rare exception that would permit them to leave the task unfinished. And should the rare exception occur, the substance of the reason ought not to be a lack of time, but a lack of responsibility.

I have come to realize the importance of recognizing one’s own capabilities before committing to certain responsibilities. There are those who work quickly and those who work slowly. There are those who can handle having a wide variety of responsibilities that are all unrelated and those who require more cohesiveness in their daily work. There are those who work systematically, completing one step at a time until the job is done and those who work more randomly, moving from one aspect to another in a given project until it eventually comes together to form the desired outcome. There are those who are easily able to visualize the finished product and recognize the steps needed to achieve the desired end in the proper relationship to the whole and those who focus intensely on the small details with less of a vision for the big picture.

As one who works predominantly from a list of things to do, I occasionally reach a point in compiling my list where I get overwhelmed with all that needs to be done (like right now – that’s why I’m blogging – I figure if I ignore my list, maybe it will go away). Usually when I reach that point, I start doing the necessary thing – I remind myself of the sage advice, “why do today what can be put off until tomorrow” and I pop a bag of popcorn and go read a book. :-)