Time …

… where in the hell does it go?!

Since I retired, my to-do list seems to be longer than ever and way more varied. I am learning more about Word than I ever did when I used it (almost) daily at work, various social media is starting to find its way into my life, I’m blogging, I’m trying to keep up with all of my new blogger friends, I’m doing my best to make at least one new piece of jewelry a week … the list goes on and on. And the one thing that all of my new skills have in common? They are time eaters.

Oh, and then there is feed my girls, scoop the litter boxes, feed myself, wash clothes, do the laundry, clean the house, see friends (to see if they still remember me), go outside just because it’s there, go to movies, you know … all those normal everyday things.

I sit down for “just a few minutes” to work on something and three hours later I am still knee-deep in that project and all of the others are neglected. Check email? Budget at least an hour. See what’s happening on Facebook? A good 2-3 hours later I may be ready to hit the log out button. Edit a manuscript? Check back with me tomorrow and I’ll still be completely engrossed! Write a new blog post? Well, I started this one at least an hour and a half ago, and I’m still not finished! I heard frequently before I retired that I would be so busy after retirement I wouldn’t even dream about going back to work. I now believe it! I’m swamped.

And to-do lists mean nothing. They simply provide space for me to write down more things that I need to remember to do. Unfortunately, the items at the top never seem to get crossed off … the list just gets longer and longer and longer, until finally a new sheet of paper is needed.

Everything takes so much time. It makes me realize that time is a very precious commodity. One that continues leaking away never to be seen again. Just how much multi-tasking can I do at the same time? When I was working, I was pretty darn good at juggling multiple tasks. I need to work on those skills again.

So, what suffers? Well, I was never much of a house cleaner – now I am horrendous; I have cut back litter box scooping to once a day (sorry Widget and Molly); luckily, since I don’t have to worry about “work clothes” anymore, I have enough “play clothes” that they only need to be washed once a week; and I keep up with my friends on Facebook – not the most personal, but for now it works.

But still – where in the hell does all the time go?! If you have any extra would you please send it this way! I’ll put it to really good use 🙂

Image courtesy of twobee at FreeDigitalPhotos.net