In My Head

Getting stuff done is killing my inner extrovert.

This weekend I ran into several people who I don’t talk to very often but who read this blog and follow me on Twitter or Facebook. All of their comments echoed one of two themes: (1) I’m very passionate about the things I do, and (2) I’m getting a lot of things done. I won’t argue with either of those, though I will admit that (1) is particularly good to hear.

What concerns me is that (2) has come at the cost of social connections. I have noticed that I’ve been developing a stronger and stronger “I’m going to disappear for a while and do some work” tendency. Certainly protecting time to be creative and productive is a good and important thing. What I feel like I haven’t been doing is balancing that with time to just be and to recharge, both by myself and — more critically — with other people.

Because I was traveling and out of my normal routine this weekend, it jolted me into doing more of it. Yesterday I ended up just sitting in The Trappist for at least twenty minutes after I was finished with lunch just to sit and soak in the environment, which included listening to the trio at the other end of the room discuss their various workspace dramas. Just now, I stopped at a Starbucks on my way back into town because I’m running about forty-five minutes early for my improv workshop. The place is packed and buzzing with life, and I can’t help but tap into some of those energies, watching the flow of activity, indulging in the luxury of people-watching.

Being productive has caused me spend a lot of time along, inside my own head. I have to fight the urge to stay there.

Update

Fitness: Rest day