Pinball Wizard
No matter what your thoughts are about President Bush, you have to give him this much...he's organized. By 6am, he knows he has a cabinet meeting at 8am, a photo shoot with Cub Scout Troop 568 from 9:10-9:14, alone time with Laura from 9:30-9:34pm, and probably 20 other items on his printed agenda in between. He's the most powerful man in the western world and he's probably rarely late for any of his appointments.
I, on the other hand, don't and can't work that way.
At 7:15am I may turn on my microphone with a plan to talk about something like Alec Baldwin's appearance on The View, when right then a listener may call in with a talking parrot who can mimic her husband belching the alphabet. Sorry Alec, we have to go to Polly on line 2.
And that's how my whole day goes. I could walk down the hall to use the bathroom, when I may get called into our marketing office for an impromptu promotions meeting about what color our new t-shirts should be. 10 minutes later I'll head back to my office, with even my bladder forgetting about needing the men's room.
It's like being a human pinball. Bounce here. Bounce there. Start working on this, and then stop mid-sentence because I just had an idea about something else.
And just when I think I'm done for the day, a flipper bats me back up to bounce around some more. That's why my wife just laughs when I tell her I'll be home in 30 minutes or so. After 17 years of marriage, she knows "or so" adds an hour to my best intentions.
I've done the Franklin Covey type thing, where I prioritize, categorize, and organize. It works, I get much more done. But I need and bleed chaos.
For me, random beats plan-dom everytime. Seeing something through from beginning to end in one sitting rarely, if ever, hap
2 comments:
Hi Scott, just wanted to say your daughter is a wounderful combo of both you and Fran. I feel like a distant "Aunt". I have been listening to her grow up since she was 3. Keep counting your blessing, I wish you only the very best. By the way because of your example I stopped swearing and try to use a kinder view of life.
I am so much like what you just described. To make things worse, I'm a teacher. I will often walk from the front of the classroom to my desk with an incredibly important task to complete and by the time I've gotten there, the thought is gone and I've grabbed or done something else. The kids have gotten used to me wandering about the room with a lost look in my eye, all while trying to learn them gooder. They are generally very helpful when I ask, "what was I looking for?" They give me all sorts of suggestions, which only reminds me of other things that must be done NOW. Personally, I say it's a sign of intelligence.
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