I need to want to do this

Seriously, do any of us ever feel like we have enough time?

There was an old episode of The Andy Griffith Show called “The Sermon for Today.” In this episode a traveling preacher gives a sermon entitled “What’s Your Hurry?” So inspired are Andy, Barney and the rest of the Mayberry residents that they work themselves into a frenzy trying to recreate a “relaxing” Sunday afternoon band concert. The remainder of the show is anything but relaxing and at the end the traveling preacher walks by Andy’s porch to see the now exhausted residents of Mayberry, now have given up on the concert, relaxing, for which he commends them, and is a little jealous.

Yesterday morning in my email, Rob Hatch of Owner Media Group wrote that he prioritizes his time into two lists: “Need to Do” and “Want to Do.” He writes:

Your Need To Do list might include things like administrative tasks, replying to emails, weekly meetings, and project work. For me it also includes personal fitness, meditation and writing.

Your Want To Do list might include learning a new language, learning how to blog, writing your book, taking a course, or researching a new business idea, etc.

Rob talks about he compartmentalizes what he has to do, which ultimately gives him time to do the things he wants to do.

I haven’t figured that out yet.

For example, in addition to juggling writing assignments, I’m currently reading four books. Two of which I need to review within the next few days. The other two I just want to read.

One of the books I’m reading is The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It’s a digital version with an interactive discussion guide provided by Story Cartel.

In this case, I’m efficiently multi-tasking because it’s something that I Need to Do because of something that I Want to Do. CAT Theatre is producing Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure this fall (By the way, I designed the logos for CAT’s 51st Season). I plan to audition. So I figure the more I know and understand about Sherlock (no, I’m not auditioning to be Sherlock, leave it there) the better I’ll be at auditions.

But the interesting thing in the Story Cartel discussion is how Sherlock puts it all together. You don’t see this quite so much in the BBC version (which I love), but in the books Sherlock can often be found for hours sometimes sitting crunched up in his chair. He’s thinking, he’s processing what he observed.

The point being that a little quiet time to observe and process may, in the end, make you more effective with those tasks you Need to Do.

Like I said, I haven’t figured this out yet. I find myself rushing from one writing project to another graphic project to a rehearsal (well, not currently, but I’m over not getting that part…almost), to yard work, to actual work work, to the gym when I get my butt out of bed. You get the picture.

I need to do like Rob says and prioritize the needs vs. the wants.

I need to do that. Well, I want to anyway.

Just as soon as I find the time.

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Image by Sonja Langford via Unsplash

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