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That was me last night when uploading my assignment.

And this a summary of the moment, as sent in a whatsapp to a friend earlier on today.

😆 I really was, yet I feel positive about this assignment, and actually enjoyed it. I had too many words, and with like 15 mins to go was trying to cut 175! And then with 10 mins to go I told myself you do have time for an additional spellcheck 😂 Then had a moment when I thought the file hadn’t uploaded 🙈👀 But with 8 mins to spare! Then I had a dance party 😆

I’d sent her a voice note last night, and her response this morning (in between knowing laughter) was, “Ah girl, you sound wrecked!“. She did also tell me well done.

So why, why, why was it so ‘down to the wire’?

  • Partly because work/team transition is taking most of my headspace, not leaving room for much more.
  • Partly because I haven’t study formally for ages.
  • Partly because I have (or so I have told myself) traditionally worked better as the timeline gets tighter. – Something Myers-Briggs* would suggest is inline with my INFP personality
  • Partly because I may be a procrastinator
  • Partly because I still need to learn to manage my free time better.
  • And so on, and so forth…

Spare capacity is golden. We all need it.

Why? Many reasons, but here’s three:

  • Life doesn’t always go to plan. So if our schedules are packed too tightly, what happens when we get that last minute call/ask/work request/emergency etc.?
  • We are only human. We do have limits to our capacity. If our output is consistently outweighing our input, we will, eventually, bankrupt ourselves. Physically, emotionally, spiritually etc.
  • We need rest. We need fun. We need room for the spontaneous.

So how can we do a bit better in terms of spare capacity?

Well as I’ve proved that I still need help in this area, I’ll defer to others. Here’s some links to things I’ve read that touch on the subject, and related ones. I’m working on putting some of them into action:

How the ‘5 Second Rule’ Can Help You Fight the Urge to Procrastinate

How To Schedule Your Day For Peak Creative Performance

Tim Urban|What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

*If interested in taking the MyersBriggs personality test, there are free versions available online. Here’s one I just tested. The results were fairly consistent.

What Myers-Briggs? YouTube clip