Managing the time to time manage

Given enough time, I have seen that I can make the hours stretch into nothingness and successfully, to my utter dismay, have absolutely nothing to show for it (or is that just the point?). When I look at my last blog post, I am shocked that my last entry was in October last year and not in March this year as I would have myself believe.

I mean what sort of blogger am I that days pass through into weeks and into literally months! All I can say is while my one true fan hasn't complained I have probably lost a couple more 'regulars' thanks to my lethargy(?). I imagine I shouldn't label it 'lethargy' as the months have been anything but. Perhaps the word to coin in this instance is 'selected lethargy' or more like it 'selethargy.'

Which makes me to wonder, how is it that so many people manage to get so much done in the span of the same 24 hours that I get? Or am I imagining things? Simple problems have simple solutions usually and the answer could be that more gets done mainly because while the same number of projects may be initiated, much fewer were being concluded in my case. But that's not right either, considering the number of tasks that are concurrently run and completed. I would venture to guess that the real reason is that or I have a more varied area of operations.

Despite the revelation, I was also probably not managing my time as well as I should. I was allowing my day-to-day work eat into whatever else I also wanted to do – because of poor time management. Now in my defence I honestly believe that my poor time management was not solely my doing. Naturally that is the easiest excuse to make, but honestly I realised that my time was mine but not mine alone... particularly from those on the job with me.

These days more and more I find that my time is occupied by deliverables that depend on my fellow inmates at the asylum that we euphemistically call 'the workplace' (although Arkham would fit the bill as well). Much to my changrin I find that whether it be supervisor or supervisee, we were not on the same clock or the same lifestyle priorities. 

To some the job and its execution are the 'be all and end all' in existence – not that I could blame them much considering that in Dhaka it's better to work late and swiftly get home as opposed to fighting traffic earlier through rush hour and extended rush hour only to reach home to a spell of load shedding (if lucky)!

What is a man to do? Like all simple questions, the eventual answer is terribly simple - get off the trying to work under the same clock and call a day a day, regardless of where it finds everyone else. My intent is now to leave when my work is done and not wait any longer. In a digitally connected world home is just an extension of the office if required (although it's best not to make a habit of making it so).

An early arrival home means more time for the family, and when that is done more time to get on with what I find important. Populating this blog for example or hammering away at the keyboard on my unfinished (and losing battle against if I'm not careful) novel perhaps. There are opportunities in making the time to make the most of opportunities.

Having said that; having arrived at this new revelation, this belated epiphany I am a changed man.

At least for this evening. And even if it's not worth so much, at least it's a start in the right direction!