Trigger Question #109:
“To do or not to do is only the question if you don’t know why.” The Chief Nonsense Officer.
There once was a time when my shirts were all ironed and my room neat and tidy. Then there came a time when my shirts were ironed, my dishes were washed, my house neat and tidy.
Those times were exam times. University full-time, followed by part-time post-grad.
Being the smart guy that I am, it did not take me long to see what was happening. I had a unique knack for finding time to do minor tasks that suddenly became inexplicably more important than studying. Or thesis writing.
And when I climbed the corporate ladder and had to deal with matters of great import… no, let’s not go there.
I soon learned another thing. My knack is not unique. You probably have the same knack. Most people have it. It explains why humans, since the planting of that first garden, have managed to get so much done. Almost all of it trivial.
Long before my epiphany, in fact, it was the year 1930, Robert Benchley wrote:
“Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment.”
He wrote it in a column for the Chicago Tribune, which he cleverly titled “How to Get Things Done.”
Yes, yes, I know. There have been a gazillion articles with the same title or similar themes, and even books. But this one is different. It did not accuse us of being unproductive. In fact, it did just the opposite.
Mr. Benchley was kind enough to say that we do actually get things done. But they are probably not the things we were supposed to be getting done right then.
This got me thinking. Can we use his insight to our advantage? I think so. But be careful when you try this trick. And don’t blame me if it backfires.
Here it is:
Label all your important tasks as unimportant. And vice versa.
Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.
. . .