Work smarter, not harder
I would like to consider myself an efficient person. I wake up and listen to a podcast or a new album while making my bed (a non-negotiable task) and getting ready for the day. Of course, this desire for effective time management is nothing new.
People had been clasping the home phone between their shoulder and cheek to talk to someone while folding thewashing, for decades before the digital age. Just as they would listen to the news bulletin while eating breakfast AND flicking through the paper. Talk about consuming various mediums of media at once. Let’s call it the 60s equivalent of scrolling on your small screen (phone) while playing a film on the big screen (television). We can’t be blamed for our yearning to lead an efficient life; it’s almost always been the case.
But my need to be time-efficient is chronic, and it manifests significantly in my morning routine. I’ll boil the kettle, pour my cereal, prepare my instant coffee (mmm, delicious), and once my porridge is cooked and coffee is poured, I’ll put my jewellery on and respond to texts. Morning routine efficiency is a normal place to start, but it became more than that when my need for productivity was more detrimental.
At its worst, a couple of years ago, this routine rigidity manifested into anxiety and anger when things weren’t going the way I imagined, affecting my relationships at the time. It wasn’t like living at home with my parents telling me to calm down; I had to do some serious self-reflection.
Though the anxiety may have passed, my actions remain the same. I’ll brush my teeth and manhandle a pressed powder on my basin to use the mirror, checking the back of my hair. Have I dropped and subsequently ruined makeup products before? Yes. Do I wish I had just waited until I had both hands available to check the back of my hair, which wasn’t going to shapeshift by the time I finished brushing my teeth? Yes. Will I repeat these steps tomorrow? Probably.
Burnout is more than a buzzword. It’s a true phenomenon which affects many of us, myself included at some points in my life, of course (see: the most fucking anxious year of my life, year 12), but now I’m finding enjoyment in balancing all the plates. I’m no superhero, but I realise that I have full rein over what I put into my life to throw into the air and juggle, as long as it keeps me happy.
The adults in my extended family have always been hard workers. My dad, in particular, is continuously on a mission to work on himself and his business, starting with his morning routine. He even records a new voicemail message (yes, every day for at least the last 25 years) and makes the priority phone calls in the car on the way to work. Although we will all form our definitions of efficiency, it’s no wonder, many of us raised by such motivated generations feel immense satisfaction in successfully using our time efficiently. Or perhaps we feel a sense of pressure to use our time effectively to impress those exact people?
Over the last few weeks, people in my life have commented on how busy I have been, wondering how I have fit it all in. The answer doesn’t just boil down to efficiency and wanting to progress with things. I have only been able to maintain such a schedule because of how much enjoyment it is bringing me. So long as clearing out your email inbox on the commute to work makes you happy, continue to do it. When you catch yourself multitasking (i.e. not being able to sit down and consume a meal without some form of entertainment), don’t worry - the generations before us started it!
