bumble time

Life requires empty space. It’s just as important as the full space, or the super achievement space. The hard part about allowing empty space is we are so “busy.” Now, busy is not the same as productive. Busy is moving around a lot, shuffling things, looking like you are doing something. Productive is effectively using the time you are given to move toward your goal. (Can you tell I’ve been reading time management books?)
Lately, I’ve been productive AND I’ve been busy. Getting ready for the National Poetry Slam has definitely created a lot of both: fundraising shows, practices, travel planning, giddy messages of anticipation. With slam and work and kids, it feels like every moment of my life is filled with doing and the ones that escape doing are filled with thinking about doing.
In Four Hour Work Week (by Timothy Ferris, bad ass book) Ferris talks about the Pareto’s Garden also known as the 80/20 Principle. In the garden, 80% of the peas came from 20% of the seeds. This applies to all kinds of areas: 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. 80% of the revenue comes from 20% of the clients. Basically, 80% of the effect comes from 20% of the cause. I’ve read this before but it was good to be reminded of this in the midst of feeling like I was caught in the undertow of my life.
So, as my friend and I like to say, we’ve been 80/20-ing our lives.
To do this you have to look at where 80% of your joy comes from and where 80% of your frustration comes from and then shift where you invest your time and energy.
My frustration mostly comes from my house and my laundry, and it’s never ending need to be tended to. That’s 10%. The other 10% is men. Not really men themselves so much as my liking for them, my desire to have them around, my expecting something from them and then not getting it. On the mat recently, I noticed that probably 50% of my thoughts are some how involving men. This only causes me frustration because I have a lot of other things I could be productive about right now and relationships would only be considered busy work at this point.
My joy comes from quality time with my kids, writing and performing poetry and connecting with my Source. I also most definitely get joy from quality time with friends and family but this is my default activity. I will “hang out” until I’m sore if you let me.
And then my laundry piles up and the dishes don’t get done and the other things that give me joy start getting cut off. Also, to live in accordance with my value, which is what getting my shift together is about, I have to do a lot of prepping: meals, cleaning things to reuse, planning trips to promote less waste etc. Obviously, something’s gotta give.
When I feel myself getting distracted I do what I call a BUMBLE check. Is this the Best Use of My Being, Life and Energy? It’s a verb or a noun like Google. Did I BUMBLE this blog? Yes. This blog is my sorting machine and it gives me something productive to do while at work and I look busy at the same time (hehe). So this blog is a BUMBLE.
My kids and my mat time (meditation time) are BUMBLEs. Talking at length on my cell phone about the goings on of slam politics and what have you, not so much.
So I’ve got my 80/20 eraser out lately, creating empty space for peace and shifting the full space to happy BUMBLE space. (wow, I can really make some funny sounding sentences.)
Note to Friends and Family: don’t be afraid to call me. Just know that I may not answer. If it’s an emergency, text me 911. And hey, we can schedule some bumble time together!