“You don’t have to do everything today.”
A colleague and friend told me this earlier this week when, as usual, I was running around the office, stressing about everything on my to-do list. Of course I initially brushed off the comment — I was too busy! However, later when I had a few spare moments, I remembered what he had said. It made me think…
In today’s world, with constant updates at our fingertips and everything changing by the minute, who wins: the tortoise or the hare?
Just having been in the “real world” for a year and a half, I am anxious to start making waves. I can’t wait. According to Jason Ryan Dorsey, this is a key characteristic of Gen Y — we want it all, and we want it now. (And we want to do it our way!)
As a result, I find myself in a constant state of rushing and multitasking, as do my peers. We work hard and fast, but are we as effective as we think?
Sometimes I imagine that if I would give myself nice, long, uninterrupted chunks of time, I could really focus and increase my productivity and the quality of my work. But would it really happen? Instead, I imagine that I would grow bored, wondering what my friends were doing, what new episodes are on Hulu, and what news was breaking. Even as I write this post, I’m Gchatting with a friend, watching the Microsoft keynote at CES, and checking my Twitter updates every few minutes.
I actually find the distractions to be a source of stability. I feel more focused and comfortable knowing that I can access anyone and anything at anytime; and when I’m in this mode, I believe I do my best work.
So in conclusion, I have no conclusion. Rather, I’m interested in hearing from others, both from my generation and otherwise.
What do you think — does slow and steady win the race?
