Squirrels and Shiny Objects

You:       Hey, T, how's that modified single tasking going?  Did you finish revising that short story you were planning to work on this month?

Me:        SQUIRREL! (runs off chasing real and imaginary playthings).

I used to be highly efficient and extremely productive.  No, really, I did.  I don't know what happened.  I could blame lots of things.  For example, my students in Pop Culture will be debating the influence of digital culture on productivity Monday. I giggled when one admitted that she HAS to check Facebook before she starts writing a paper.  Guilty. Of course, I've been a cyber-junkie for at least ten years, so I'm not sure it's fair to look in that direction.

Then there's the old, "Work's been really busy."  And it has.  I managed to inundate myself with a ton of heavy grading simultaneously.  However, I do that every semester. 

So, yeah, I've got no legitimate excuse for my recent downturn productivity.  I'm sure inertia plays a role.  There's something else, though.

I'm enjoying the chaos of life. I welcome the distractions.  Remember all those lessons I've written in the past year about how I love but they can consume me? Well, I'm trying to just live in the moment more, and every moment there seems to be something new drawing my attention. 

Yeah, sure, I've got some guilt, and I know I have to ignore some of the shiny objects or I'll risk getting to comfortable in my complacency.

But for today, perhaps, this week, and maybe even the next month, I'm just going to enjoy the ride.