Older Self (os): I think I figured it out…
Younger Self (ys): What’s that?
os: I don’t have as much time as I thought I had.
ys: Are you dying?
os: NO! That’s not what I meant. Well, I mean, to paraphrase, we’re all dying, but we don’t all live.
ys: uggg….
os: What I really meant to say was, I don’t have as much free time as I thought I had, or at least, the free time that I do have is being used very inefficiently.
ys: Meaning…?
os: Well, you know how we work. We take some time in the beginning to take care of stuff and get it out of the way so we can concentrate on the main task.
ys: Yes. I usually have the whole night to work, so I can putz around for a couple of hours after dinner (even during dinner), then tackle the task till I get too tired.
os: That doesn’t work anymore, at least not right now. That couple of hours I use to putz around is actually all the free time I have. Once I get it out of the way, when I am ready to hit the main task, it’s time to sleep, because I can’t stay up all night any longer.
ys: Why not?
os: Long story, that we can’t go into. Anyway, at best, I have two hours of free time. Sometimes it’s just one hour.
ys: Wow. Poor guy.
os: Shut up.
ys: Hey, don’t take it out on me.
os: Hmmmm….. okay, so, what can I do?
ys: Can’t you just dive right into the main task?
os: I guess that’s what I’ll have to do. It’s just that everything that I’ve put off till later is now getting in the way of doing that.
ys: Patience then. Make an action plan, with manageable steps, and follow it through.
os: Well, aren’t you insightful.
ys: You would have said the same thing. It was just my turn to speak.
os: Okay then. I realize I need to approach it differently.
ys: Yeah, slow it down. Plan it out. Write it down, and cross it off when complete.
os: Task list?
ys: Maybe.
os: Okay, let’s try that out.
ys: So… we’re shooting for 2020?
os: Shut up.