Obligations

I wish I could float smoothly from project to project with the ease of self-assurance. I would love to be able to process information like a computer, make quick, insightful decisions, and stand behind them for all eternity. Does that sound even remotely like reality?

I manage a great deal. It’s not the mark of a modern 21st-century person to have managed one’s life as old hat. It isn’t. It just seems that way. We juggle so many things without even pausing to think about why we are doing them or whether they are good uses of our time.

Can you say no to a project given to you by your boss? Most of us would agree that saying no is not an option. Yet self-help gurus constantly bemoan that workers need to better manage their efforts to achieve optimal outcomes. How is that even possible with managers adding work to an already overworked staff? What are the priorities, and can it not be everything?

Obligations. These are the things that have to get done. You have to pay your rent/mortgage and your bills, go to work, make dinner, etc., etc. The question is, do you spend time on your obligations or on the things that you want to do?