What Happened When I Took a Step Back Last Week...
100 Things #31 - Take a Breath
“How much gas do you have in the tank?”
One of the first things that the vast majority of us do when we wake up in the morning, often subconsciously, is allocate our time and energy that day to whatever number of tasks or responsibilities we’ve got going on.
Even if, usually begrudgingly, some of those tasks are not necessarily things we want to be investing our precious time into, alas, they must get done.
Some context…
Something that has caught my attention recently is just how much time the average person spends invested in engagements that solely exist as means to various ends.
Said another way, there really isn’t a whole lot that we do, just for the sake of doing it.
Most wouldn’t bake a fresh loaf of bread, without the express intent of cutting a slice and eating it after, or at least sharing it with a friend.
Similarly, most wouldn’t book an appointment at the doctor’s for an ailment they didn’t have, or apply for an interview for a job they didn’t want.
It may seem like a straightforward observation, but I think there’s something interesting to be said about the way we conduct ourselves and budget our time based on that which needs doing.
For example, when someone finds themselves only really using their car to commute or run errands, simply going for a drive for the sake of driving itself without any clear ulterior objective in mind might seem odd or even irrational.
And for those individuals who occasionally do find themselves simply driving for driving’s sake, does “needing to unwind” count as an objective, or are even those individuals looking to cruise around for a while to blow off steam also guilty of only acting in ways that represent “means to end” behaviour?
It makes you wonder if there is anything that we truly do without any sort of secondary motives underlying our decision-making. Someone might think that they’d be better off counter-acting this modality of thinking, and as a result, may choose to start going for walks on the weekend, but it’s hard to imagine that underlying motives to be fit, lose weight or get some fresh air wouldn’t play a role in this newfound inspiration.
Back to my original point…
Essentially, by differentiating between “means” and “ends” in our regular tasks, we gain insight into which items on our calendars are objectives and which items are necessary costs.
I believe it’s important not to confuse these two camps in our minds, especially as the lines may start to blur as certain actions begin to feel somewhat automatic, being performed day in and day out.
One wouldn’t want the motions of playing with one’s child and other nightly responsibilities to blend in together, as they occasionally do for some, or else one may run the risk of having their negative feelings towards the latter bleed into the former.
It can be a difficult balance to strike, but by making clear to oneself which tasks are actually objectives, as opposed to which are the costs to attain to those objectives, one can develop a much clearer image of where exactly to divvy up their time and energy.
For me, this has meant reconfiguring the way I approach social media, because let’s face it, likes, comments, and re-shares should not be the objective, but instead, the necessary cost of doing digital business in the modern age.
But I’ll save the rest of my thoughts on that for next week.
I’ll leave you here with a few journaling prompts for those who want to do a bit of guided thinking around this topic:
Reflect on how you allocate your energy each day. What tasks consume most of your energy, and are these tasks aligned with your goals or are they just necessary obligations?
Identify a few activities you do regularly. Determine which are "means to an end" and which are done for their own sake. How do you feel about the balance between these types of activities in your life?
Recall a time when you did something just for the sake of doing it, without any secondary motive. How did it feel? What can you do to incorporate more of these moments into your life?
Reply of the week:
This comment was in response to last week’s 100 Things #30 - Curate.
I really appreciated the chance to go down memory lane and think about trading card collections I also had as a kid (and still have a few of now), and also truly appreciate the idea of curating a social media feed for the sake of protecting one’s peace.
Thanks for responding
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For now, have a great rest of the week. Talk soon!