In a Slump?

Over the years, I have on many occasions fielded questions about my productivity, ranging from "Do you somehow have access to more than 24 hours in a day?" to "Have you figured out a way to bypass the space-time continuum?" to "What, are you an alien?" I don't know how to explain it, but I've always been an extremely efficient person. I have always been able to squeeze more into a week than most people I know—reading more books and magazines, watching more movies, cooking and baking more food, and so on, all without sacrificing sleep, family time, or the usual "daily grind" of house-keeping, bill-paying, errand-running, and all that. Plus freelance work! And volunteering at school! And that "blog" thing? How does she do it?

Well, right about now, I'm kind of wondering the same thing myself. I don't know what's going on, but lately I can't seem to keep up. I haven't taken on any new responsibilities—indeed, I've given up on the gym entirely, I haven't had a huge work load for most of the last few months, I can't even remember the last time I did a sudoku puzzle—yet I'm still feeling as though I'm falling behind in everything. The next New Yorker on my pile is from November 12 (yes, I still insist on reading them in order), I've watched fewer Netflix DVDs in the last 6 months than I used to watch in any given 6 weeks up till then, and the 25-pound bag of flour I bought at Costco back when I was baking bread as fast as we could eat it is still unopened.

I sure hope this is just a weird phase I'm going through. I've always taken it for granted that I could just accomplish a lot more than anyone I knew. It wasn't as though I was competing with people, it's just the way it was. I realize that as I age, I won't be able to do quite as much as before, but I didn't think I'd have already peaked by now. And with the kids in school for more hours every day than ever before, I'd have thought I'd be even more productive lately. Mais non. I hope to be reporting soon that I'm back in the saddle. In the meantime, bear with me if it takes me more than than the usual few hours to reply to your comments or emails!

Comments

[lynn]

Thank God! You're human! :)

[Joel]

It isn't a slump in which you find yourself. It is an overstimulation. Trust me - I've been there. As a teenager I was interested in everything, and my parents indulged me in every whim. Consequently, I couldn't focus on what was my passion, and I became a jack of all trades. This has served me well in business, but I can't help thinking I could've beenbetter in some areas.

Bread? Business? It is all relative in the end.

[Elena]

Thank goodness because I was feeling so inadequate! Actually, I think you hit the nail on the head--having the kids in school for more hours. I know that I am much less productive when my kids are in school all day. There's something about having all that activity that keeps you on your toes and prevents you from wasting time. I'm sure you'll bounce back!

[Sara]

I suspect that though the kids in are in school longer, they also have more activities that require schlepping and preparation. They probably require more help with homework and go to bed later- all things that cut into your time. I find that my productivity waxes and wanes- sometimes I slack, sometimes I am on overdrive. C'est la vie!

[Tonya]

Ditto what Sara said. Seems like they all have a lot of activities these days and you're constantly on the go! That said, I've certainly noticed a decline in my energy level these past few years...

[marciamarcia]

As a fellow efficiency alien ("Oh," I hear, "You read, write, cook, spend time with your son, maintain your website, *and* sleep? WTH?!") I get through the occasional slumps by counterintuitively adding something big to the mix. It distracts me from the weird pace of the usual stuff and before I notice, the vertebrae line up again. Well, usually.