I am starting to become comfortable with the fact that I cannot accomplish everything that needs to be done in the time that I expect it should be done (excepting those action items with deadlines). The devil of productivity has decided to take longer lunch breaks and given me a reprieve from his incessant tapping (“did you do that yet? did you do this yet?”). So I’m more in inclined to spend time chatting with colleagues and my student workers than before and I’d like to think I’m better for it… though I’m told I still come across as “antsy.”

Good thoughts from Gina Trapani (someone whose work I greatly admire). This year, let’s define ourselves by what we do instead of what we like or how we feel at any given moment.

“Your todo lists, and at higher levels, your project list and life list say more about you than the movie you saw last weekend… Think of your todo list as less of a list, and more of a map. It’s a map of where you are now that points you in the direction of where you want to be in the next few days or weeks. Your done list is the route you’ve taken in the past few days or weeks. Your projects list is the next few months or years, and so on. Dissatisfaction is the difference between where you are and where you want to be, and your lists are the map plotting the route ahead.”

Source: Smarterware