To Do's and To Be's

11/28/2022

The gardener digs in another time, without past or future, beginning or end... Around you the landscape lies transfigured. Here is the Amen beyond the prayer.
Derek Jarman, 1942-1994, Artist, filmmaker, activist

In October’s Engaging Exchange, Karen Foster-Jorgensen shared a simple strategy she uses to monitor how she's making effective use of time. She makes her to-do list and then her to-be list. Afterward, she connects the to-do’s and the to-be’s. This gives her a good assessment of how well her daily activities are in line with her goals.

In Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman questions the value of a to-do list without a broader vision. “Productivity is a trap. Becoming more efficient just makes you more rushed, and trying to clear the decks simply makes them fill up again faster. Nobody in the history of humanity has ever achieved ‘work-life balance,’ whatever that might be, and you certainly won’t get there by copying the ‘six things successful people do before 7:00 a.m.’ The day will never arrive when you finally have everything under control—when the flood of emails has been contained; when your to-do lists have stopped getting longer; when you’re meeting all your obligations at work and in your home life; when nobody’s angry with you for missing a deadline or dropping the ball; and when the fully optimized person you’ve become can turn, at long last, to the things life is really supposed to be about. Let’s start by admitting defeat: none of this is ever going to happen. But you know what? That’s excellent news.”

PS — You still have time to sign up for our next Engaging Exchange with Nadia Jaboneta: "You Can't Celebrate That! Courageous Conversations with Children, Families and Colleagues" on Tuesday, November 29, 7:00-8:30 pm Eastern time.

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