Time Management for the Modern Barbarian
No, that heading is * not * a joke. I bring it up because I’m late with my column. Once again. While two times can be coincidence, I’m not thrilled with the emerging pattern, as I imagine Tom is not, either. We’ve bemoaned our mad abilities in this arena (as in, we’re mad, and got no abilities. Or at least I do not) that I feel I’m safe dragging him under the bus with me. If he’s added another skull to his throne by next week, we’ll know otherwise.
Tempus fuggits, just as difficult as it ever can, and it often appears to disappear simply ahead of my grasping claws, y’ know? I don’t mean to wax lyrical, so much as I’m an author trying to describe the unbelievable sensation of never having the time or energy to handle to do whatever I feel I ought.
Aside: ought. I’ll get to that later on. In the meantime, do not must on yourself.
I envision most of you fellow barbarians have heard of Stephen R. “Reaver” Covey (Barb. Local # 32) and his more or less notorious Big Skulls example of time management. Basically, you put the skulls into your prize chest first and then fit in all the smaller bits around them, otherwise, you’ll never get everything in. A minimum of, that’s how I heard it.
Point being, if you fill your days with all the fun little things you want to do, disregarding the bits you have to do, you’re going to end up burning out in a smolder of mediocrity. Our barbaric forefathers could not simply hunt and drink all day without first making sure the integrity of their borders and security of the next generation, first. We’re in a somewhat various place, these days (and that’s another series, right there) however the concepts still hold. Make sure the safety of the next generation: pay your expenses, fill the larder, make your damn bed (h/t to Jordan B. “Butcher” Peterson, Barb. Local # 52, the Frozen North). Protect your borders. Go to work every day and do the drudgery that sucks.
And here, I need to describe a bit about the inner working of Caer Dave and Wee Horde. Wee Dave and Wee-er Dave (not their real names) are entrusted to my hands while their warrior mom, Mrs. Dave, goes and secures our higher borders. So while Dave writes, writing isn’t Dave’s leading priority. It * can’t * be. Keeping the Wee Crowd in tidy clothing, food, and enough slaughter to slake their bloodlust comes initially. Even before Stuff Dave Wants To Do. Those are my huge rocks, even before stuff I have actually told people I ‘d get to (Sorry, Tom).
And that’s where the time-management part is available in. As poor as I feel about blowing a deadline, I had other stuff that was more urgent. Now, was it really more crucial? That becomes part of what I’m working on, in a larger context. See, there’s such a thing as the Tyranny of the Urgent. It’s a condition wherein you spend all your time working on things that are immediate, but not specifically important, and it’s far less fun than the Tyranny of the Deathless Crowd. This originates from that terrific, barbaric overlord Dwight D. “Destroyer” Eisenhower’s (Barb. Regional # 16, the Death Swamp) remarks to the effete burghers of the UN on how he chose which uprisings to put down first.
The majority of the things we “need to do” are immediate, rather than crucial. Crucial things are having fun with the little barbarians, and teaching them the significance of weapon control (both hands) and how best to show the trophies they take in fight. Important is sculpting time out of the fantastic beast The Day for feeding our own souls. Immediate things are simply paying expenses, cleaning up the fortress, and making sure the guaranteeing there’s adequate roast beast to feed the army.
Don’t let the urgent run your life. It’s challenging, however it is possible. (When I get there, I’ll let you know.) Find out how and when in your schedule you can snatch a couple of minutes to prep things for the future. At Caer Dave, that appears like me cleaning up the meals as I prepare (scrubbing a pan usually takes about fifteen seconds and then it’s not cluttering the sink). Or tossing a package of chicken thighs in a bag with adequate brine to cover them. The salt hinders bacterial growth, and then they’re just waiting on me to toss them on the grill. Due to the fact that fire.
And then take it in small dosages. Do not try to significantly restructure your whole life over the course of a week. Set out to find little tweaks you can make, and after that make them. Practice them up until they’re 2nd nature while searching for other tweaks and putting them into practice. Look, barbs, if I can do this, you can do this. This is exactly what I’m doing with PT. Every morning, I’m knocking out about fifty of those push-ups I described recently. Thing, because I have actually got a couple minutes. And after that when I’m cooking, I can get in a set or four of mace swings. And if that’s all I manage throughout the day, well, I’m also out securing my borders for the Wee Crowd.
And after a couple of months, my head will break the surface for a ragged gasp or 2, and I’ll understand things have been running more smoothly than they had been. It works, warriors. Take the small actions, and keep in mind success breeds success. Now take up your sword and get to it.
The post Time Management for the Modern Barbarian appeared initially on By Spear and Axe.
This content was originally published here.
Leave a Comment