There is an interesting phenomenon in my life which occurs when I get on a long break, or when I don't have a busy job or schoolwork or some regular routine: I become less effective. Maybe somebody has thought of this and written about it before, I'm not sure. It isn't the end of the world I know, but I think it's worth noting. Having twenty hours of work a week, I waste a lot if not all of my extra time. Then with forty hours of work or more a week, I plan ridiculously fun adventures and waste maybe two or three hours a week. I've noticed it over and over again, during high school summers, college summers and now in my year after college graduation. Effectiveness isn't everything, but our time on earth is limited and it is ours and ours alone to spend. I figure I want to remember and be glad about my days and my activities, not just let them all run together in some kind of blur. "Not much" is only a decent response to "Whatcha been up to?" for so long.
All that being said, in a lot of ways not being effective is very good for a serious, type A person. At one point I was down to 15-minute appointment slots on my Outlook calendar from hour to hour, day to day. For the past year since graduation that has mellowed out considerably. Tomorrow I only have one appointment, for example, and even that one is iffy.
As Peace Corps approaches, I think about the possibility of having a job with UNICEF working on health projects or with the Health Department planning workshops and I realize that I may very possibly have a 9-to-5 job Monday through Friday. For the record that would be my first full-time job ever and that is saying something. 15-minute appointments fit great into that lifestyle, so I will have to be careful about that. Also, to be fair, there is a strong possibility that I could live out in the rural Mongolian countryside working here and there with little to no schedule. In that environment my one iffy appointment per day might come in handy too. Whatever the case, I just hope I make all of my days memorable and important...and if I have time, effective and productive too.
All that being said, in a lot of ways not being effective is very good for a serious, type A person. At one point I was down to 15-minute appointment slots on my Outlook calendar from hour to hour, day to day. For the past year since graduation that has mellowed out considerably. Tomorrow I only have one appointment, for example, and even that one is iffy.
As Peace Corps approaches, I think about the possibility of having a job with UNICEF working on health projects or with the Health Department planning workshops and I realize that I may very possibly have a 9-to-5 job Monday through Friday. For the record that would be my first full-time job ever and that is saying something. 15-minute appointments fit great into that lifestyle, so I will have to be careful about that. Also, to be fair, there is a strong possibility that I could live out in the rural Mongolian countryside working here and there with little to no schedule. In that environment my one iffy appointment per day might come in handy too. Whatever the case, I just hope I make all of my days memorable and important...and if I have time, effective and productive too.
