Order, chaos, productivity, and rest
If you don’t have time to take a five-minute break, you should take a ten-minute break. I don’t remember the source of this quote, or even the exact wording, but there is a lot of wisdom in it. From experience, I have learned that when your workload increases until the point tunnel vision starts to kick in, it is critical do remember this simple rule. When it feels as if the to-do list grows faster than your ability, some of the first things to skip is breaks, exercise and decluttering. Last week was just one of those weeks. Really, the whole last month has been like that. I had so much stuff to do that I had to work the whole weekend. So, I applied the rule and spent two wonderful days with my family, took long dog walks and cleaned both my office and my home.
I am skeptical to the saying that “it is the inside that counts”. I am more inclined to the philosophy that the inside is reflected on the outside and vice versa. When I get stressed out at work, I reduce decluttering and cleaning. Dust starts to accumulate. Papers, cables, equipment, and clothes aren’t put back where they belong. This makes them more difficult to find when I need them. I start to spend time looking for lost stuff, because of the disorder. Thus, I have created an activity that does not add value to anyone. This lowers my productivity, which makes me more stressed, and the entropy increases further in an evil spiral. My mind is not at peace and the chaos starts to materialize in the world around me. When the situation gets really bad, it starts to spill over on my family, because I have less available time to spend with them and the quality of that time is lower, because my mind is somewhere else. We all know where this road ends, yet it is a proper challenge to avoid.
Another instant red flag for me is my mirror. If I am not at peace inside, I start to cut corners with my grooming. Since I got my growing bald spot I always do buzz cut or bald shave. But this hairstyle is, well high maintenance is the wrong word, but still quite demanding because you only have a couple of days before said buzz cut becomes landing spot. So one or two times a week is bare minimum. Same goes with the beard. Every three days it needs attention. These activities are very simple to skip in a stressful day. And when you look messy and ungroomed in the mirror, it is at least ten times (10X) easier to make a mess of your office and home. This is actually where I began this past weekend. Proper grooming on both head and beard. And then, I couldn’t stand the sight of my cluttered rooms, grabbed the vacuum cleaner and got to work. The inside is reflected on the outside, once again. And vice versa. When the mirror shows a well-groomed man, the subconscious mind becomes at peace. Because a man at peace will not have an unflattering landing spot and a misbehaved beard. It is exactly the same principle as with smiling. If you are happy, you will smile and If you smile, you will feel happier. Simplest and oldest trick in the book. That’s why I am skeptical about the saying that “it is the inside that counts”. Because I am convinced that it is both the inside and the outside that counts, and they affect each other. It’s easy to try: Put an angry face on for a day and see what it makes you feel like. See how others treat you. And the next day do the same thing and greet everyone you meet with a smile. Will there be a difference? I think we already know the answer to that one...
Of course, things will go too far in both directions. When I was travelling in Asia, especially Tokyo, everyone was extremely beautiful and perfectly put together regarding their physical appearance. I have never experienced anything quite like it. But countries like Japan and South Korea are known for social problems with suicide, low birth rate and alcoholism. Maybe there is a correlation with the strong focus on order, perhaps too much order? If I lived in such a society, I would need an outlet. However, there are many better ways to let your hair down than to down a bottle of alcohol. But there are few that are easier…
Anyway, to conclude, I know that for me an almost obsession with order and structure is my best bet. Because with two Labradors, two small kids and two jobs, I won’t come even close to the “too much order” zone no matter how hard I try. But when you are in the river of chaos and the current is strong, your best bet is probably to row the other way for King and Country. I like it here. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Sisyphus is happy.