Long ago, I was told that there are three categories of things that we do in this life:
- Things that we must do, or end up in real trouble. Like paying your bills.
- Things that would be nice to get done. Like tidying up your cupboard of computer stuff. Nothing bad will happen if you don’t; but it would be good to sort it out.
- Things that we want to do.
This morning I have been being brutal, and deleting the “nice to do” emails from my inbox.
I tend to use my inbox as a “to do” list anyway. I dash off a quick email to myself. Maybe I attach a link or a file. Within the inbox are folders of stuff to do – subjects I need to learn about. Recently there’s been a “St George” folder; a “ideas for blog posts”; “chores that can’t be done immediately”.
A month ago I finished my last contract, and I have been trying to catch up.
This morning I saw a post on Twitter about some Mithras photographs and … I caught myself. I ignored it. I didn’t forward it to myself. It would be nice to get those photographs for my website, sure. But … it’s not essential, and it isn’t what I want to do. It’s a “nice to do”.
If you don’t ignore the “nice to do”, you will fill your life doing stuff that you neither to do nor want to do. Which is crazy.
Lots of the email items got deleted this morning. I feel lighter already,
Take your holidays, people.