Today’s Daily Stoic writing prompt:  Is my attention actually on the things at hand?

This is another of those “it kind of has to be, because pandemic” kinds of things, but I am also notoriously, with few exceptions, a shorter-term planner, and I’m quite good at that.   That does keep the bulk of my focus on the “things at hand”, usually by design.  A lot of people have, over the years, wondered how I get so much done, and it really comes down to my sense of time management.   When I take on commitments, I mentally schedule them in and I make sure not to overcommit.  If I’m doing something I’ve never done, I either give myself buffer time for the learning curve, or I make sure the only deadline is self-imposed, so if something takes a bit longer it won’t be a problem.   I generally get worse at this once I get more than about three months out, with the exception of making high-level commitments for things such as vacations, events, or concerts.  Even for those, if there are additional arrangements to be made (hotels, for instance), the sweet spot for me is about two months before–plenty in advance, but not too far out.

The result of all of this is that while I do get busy, I don’t really get swamped.  This generally applies at work as well;  it helps that there have only been a few times where I have been actually overallocated.  I tend to look at the work, understand the timelines and deadlines, and prioritize accordingly.

From a more philosophical point of view,  the things currently at hand for me are a lot of things without real answers.   I’d like to do some more near-term planning, but the pace of pandemic recovery leaves a lot of open questions.  The summer is coming up quickly.  Right now, I just keep inserting more personal projects (I am just reaching the halfway point for the Shostakovich embroidery series, plus there are a couple of other stitchery projects and at some point a new Rus’ coat, plus three scribal things to complete) and am keeping myself open to possibilities.

*****
CWH book meeting today;  and I’m very happy with the progress.  Three chapters have had their initial copyediting, and the progress on writing appears to be steady.    Nice warm day, too;  had an excellent walk.  The best thing was being able to nail my video for the Bardic War heraldic entry.   Essentially the 25-odd takes yesterday turned out to be a dress rehearsal for today.  I did just two takes, both of which were good, and one of which was 98% perfect.  The video and the documentation has now been submitted, and I am done well ahead of time!   My other entry, for non-English performance, was part of the group judged today.   I know that just Ealdormere produced what’s likely to have been another very strong entry in the category, so I am hopeful of a good result!

The pair of American Duchess shoes (blue 40s-style Oxfords) I got on very deep clearance are apparently on their way to me now.  (I have another pair on preorder which will likely ship in July)   I also might have just purchased a vintage Soviet bust of Shostakovich off of eBay.  (Maybe.)  That’ll need to be it for silly purchases for awhile, but since I have several things on the metaphorical slow boat, the mail joy should be spread out over a couple of months.

And now, it’s time to go clean out my ear.