24/7.

I have never had much sympathy for people who complain that they have nothing to do; particularly when I devote a significant portion of my mind to thinking about things like how it might be possible to squeeze more hours into each day.

Last week my role at workplace was expanded to include an entire new list of books to publish and a massive leap in the amount of revenue to manage.  (Expanded seems the best way to categorize this new position as my old responsibilities did not disappear nor were they delegated to someone else.) Generally, in corporate life this is great.  More responsibility means you're doing something right. However it suddenly means I have to squeeze two jobs into the space and time that used to accommodate one.  The learning curve is steep when you step into a new role, I know this.  And I'm certain things will feel a touch less hectic and more manageable once I get my feet wet and know my way around my new titles.

Still.  It's a lot.  The hours seem to fly by at lightening speed lately and I haven't quite figured out how to get them to slow down. If time won't slow down, I suppose the next obvious step is to maximize its potential.  

My workplace change has me thinking about time management in the bigger scheme of things. Yesterday evening, in an attempt to stay on top of the hundreds of emails I receive each day, I had my work iphone out while waiting at a crosswalk, scrolling, scrolling as I waited for the light to change.  I have no zero justification for the fact that I stepped out in front of oncoming cars. I was simply not paying attention and out of the corner of my eye I saw the guy next to me jog across the street. So I assumed (and yes, I know what they say about assuming) the light had changed and we were safe to cross.  We were not.  I was that asshole.  Thankfully the only damage that occurred was my embarrassment.  Still.  I hate being "that girl."  I hate that our entire society spends all of their seeming waking hours looking down at a computer screen and not the world around them...and there I was, doing just that.   

As I continued on my walk home, shaking my head at my stupidity, I made myself a promise.  Work smart, not long.  And.  Whenever possible let it go at good enough.  This, part B of my plan, is an immense challenge for a perfectionist like myself.

Beyond my quickly formed resolutions of yesterday, I find that I have suddenly become ridiculously protective of my time, of the 24 hours I am given each day.  I have commented before about how I want to say YES to as many opportunities and adventures that come my way. I believe in following good energy, in always seeing what's around the next corner, that saying YES decides almost everything. But I am learning that often, for every yes I want to say, I must also, somewhere, say no. This has always been a challenge for me - all of my life. And yet, I'm getting better at weeding out the priorities, at deciding what I will and will not sacrifice, at thinking about what is genuinely important.  And we all know what that is.  For in the end, that's all that matters.  I have always said, as I climb ladder rung after ladder rung, that I do not want to find myself so busy making a living that I forget to make a life.  My work, doing a good job, and being a strong performer is important to me. At workplace, yes, of course.  But also in my one and only LIFE.