I recently had the pleasure of a “day off.” I use the quotation marks, because I was still covering issues at the office by phone.
After a relaxing breakfast, I was attacked by the dangerous, slithering Anahafta, which tried to choke some of the happiness out of my day.
I suspect that you, too, have had to deal with this untamable beast, though perhaps you know it by a different name.
Today, it started with: I hafta call the surgeon who is operating on my patient next week.
Next: I hafta check my email. And I hafta shred some papers, and clean up the laundry, and I hafta write for the blog.
I started feeling overwhelmed. I tried to pin down the beast as I was trained to do in residency: make a list and then mark off the tasks one at a time. However, the Anahafta is wily, rustling through my electronic in-box and my house at the same time, causing me to add more items to my list even as I cross off a few in triumph.
Some might say the Anahafta is a top predator, that catches the unwary and strangles the pleasure out of free time.
Others might extol the virtues of having a plan, and harnessing the power of the Anahafta (domesticating it, if you will) to boost productivity. Allowing one to end the day with a feeling of accomplishment.
I did: call the surgeon, review labs, iron clothes and put them away, write a blog post, go for a walk, complete some errands.
I did not: find papers for my accountant, organize addresses for the holiday cards, clear out a jumbled cabinet where everything I’m looking for seems to be hiding.
Anahafta: friend or foe? For this day, we had a draw. We remain entangled still, we will see who wins the next engagement.