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There once was a time when my shirts were all ironed and my room neat and tidy. Then there came a time when my shirts were ironed, my dishes were washed, my house neat and tidy.
Those times were exam times. University full-time, followed by part-time post-grad.
Being the smart guy that I am, it did not take me long to see what was happening. I had a unique knack for finding time to do minor tasks that suddenly became inexplicably more important than studying. Or thesis writing.
I soon learned another thing. My knack is not unique. You probably have the same knack. Most people have it. It explains why humans, since the planting of that first garden, have managed to get so much stuff done. Almost all of it is trivial.
Long before my epiphany, in fact it was the year 1930, Robert Benchley wrote:
“Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment.”
He wrote this in a column for the Chicago Tribune which he cleverly titled "How to Get Things Done."
(Wow. I got this written without first needing to iron a shirt.)
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Your Friday Trigger Question:
What did you get done that did not need doing?
Welcome to my side of the nonsense get-things-done divide.