Sunday, February 22, 2009

Twerping about trying to do everything at once and accomplishing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING whilst listing to the whooshing sound of deadlines whizzing past

Which is how I seem to spend most of my life. I remember reading somewhere years ago that there are two kinds of workaholic: 1) those obsessed with work who do little else and think of nothing else, spend EVERY hour working and accomplish a great deal; and, 2) those who are obsessed with work, but do none of it, instead choosing to obsess about what they SHOULD be doing right now but AREN'T and accomplish next to nothing. But not for lack of planning to do something. Eventually.

I definitely fall into category #2. Sometimes this works for me. I can get a room shining spic and span in jig time, if I should really be preparing my tax return right now. Or practice music with a fierce intensity if I should really be cleaning a room. Or finally get that work bench organized if I should really be practicing music. You get my drift. All of these things may need doing, but I am only able to focus on something other than that which should be the current priority. Perhaps it's my inner child stamping her foot saying, "You're not the boss of me!" to my schedule. I don't know. I just know I wallow in self-loathing at my scheduling ineptitude most of the time.

But after reading a few blogs this weekend (in lieu of other things I really SHOULD have been doing at the time), I feel a little bit better, for it appears I have company. Wonderful, lovely, people-you'd-gladly-invite-to-dinner company, all of whom are blundeirng their way through life just as I am.

Antonia, of Whoopee fame, shares my housecleaning methods. (Sadly, I don't share her artistic abilities.)

Jaywalker, self-described eurodrone, unfit mother and slattern at Belgian Waffle seems to be my long-lost twin who makes the same kind of self-defeating choices (again and again) as I do. (Sadly, no mexican wrestling tortoises to be found chez nous.)

And Anna at Little Red Boat shares my inability to avoid multitasking into utter, utter chaos. Her post describes my work style to a 't.' (Sadly, my writing lacks her charm and humour.)

Above mentioned work style, it should come as no surprise to you, dear, gentle readers, I have hiterto referred to as "twerping about trying to do everything at once and accomplishing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING whilst listing to the whooshing sound of deadlines whizzing past." But no more. For in the comments on Anna's post linked above, the lovely Mrs. Jones of Mrs. Jones Home Thoughts from Home has provided me with a new, improved, infinitely more charming label for habit of flitting from one uncompleted task to the next.

Henceforth I shall call it "butterflying."

I think that's much nicer, don't you?

And now I must go watch another episode of "Grey's Anatomy," while penciling in notes on German phonics into my "Eine deutsches Requiem" score, while trying to figure out that pesky HTML problem with the choir website, while snacking on Nutella and whatever I can find to spread it on, before I succumb to the siren call of the washing machine, which is what I should really be doing if I want to wear clothing when I leave the house for work this week.

(SHE FLUTTERS OFF, STAGE LEFT)

10 Comments:

Blogger cala said...

Well, at least we now have a name for it, and a nice one at that.

I'm so guilty of this myself. In fact, I started raking a few hours ago, came in for a drink and never went back out to finish! That's just one in a string of similar task diversions that make up my entire work & home life.

It ain't easy being me :)

February 22, 2009 at 7:28 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Flutters on stage right... do you think you could manage between twerping or butterflying to complete the story part the 7th on how the car got fixed and you preambulated apon your travels? PLEASE... you have a small audience who still wants to know :)

February 23, 2009 at 1:55 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Guilty as charged.

February 23, 2009 at 5:07 a.m.  
Blogger #Debi said...

Please do wear clothing when you leave the house for work this week. It's cold out there...

February 23, 2009 at 7:51 a.m.  
Blogger WrathofDawn said...

@ edt - Funny you should mention that... It came to mind as I was flailing about this morning getting ready for work. Odd I should think of it just as you've sent a comment. You know what's happened to it, don't you? Yes... half done, sitting in the drafts folder... a victim of my twerpitude. Would you accept, "And then I fixed it."?

I thought not.

*stumbles off, sobbing, stage right, trips over sound cable, disconnects stage manager from communications with booth, is banned from all future productions, last seen begging for small change outside a Tim Horton's coffee shop*

@ #Debi - Not only that, but think of the children and small dogs. We mustn't scare them.

I always type your name as #Debit. It has a certain ring to it, doncha think?

No?

Oh.

February 23, 2009 at 11:03 p.m.  
Blogger #Debi said...

Funny, that's what my bank calls me...

February 23, 2009 at 11:48 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

picks up the stumbling wrather...reconnects sound cable...does the kissy kissy thang to get you back into future productions...puts $5CND in small change in Tim Hortons cup.... there there dear...ALL FIXED... awaiting part the 7th avidly...wink

February 24, 2009 at 1:09 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's roll up the rim time, so you'll have more punters at the door - hold out for $10 (or more)!

February 24, 2009 at 8:12 p.m.  
Blogger owntwohands said...

I fall into the "butterfly" work style as well, especially at home. At my day job as an admin it wasn't so bad, but as a video editor I'd be working on three computers and monopolizing the dubbing room. But at work they called it "multitasking", mostly because while at work there wasn't a whole lot to do other than job-related work if I ignored the Internet. But if there was a deadline looming you can bet that my desk would be spotless.

February 26, 2009 at 8:51 p.m.  
Blogger Richard Wintle said...

"Butterflying". I like that, and am somewhat of an armchair expert at it myself.

"She flutters off, stage left..."

You forgot:

"... pursued by a bear".

/obscure Shakespeare reference mode

February 27, 2009 at 12:40 p.m.  

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