I was out with friends, and we were laughing at ourselves. We had expected to do many things when we retired, but we found the days disappearing without many accomplishments. Thinking about it a bit more, I realized I had done a lot that day. I put the clothes in the washing machine before walking a mile, and the laundry was done when I had showered and eaten breakfast. Before getting in their car at 11:15, I had read the devotion for the day, worked five different puzzles on line, read and replied to email and blog posts, filled two humidifiers, and put the clean clothes away. Why was I not that productive all the time?

For me the answer includes deadlines and habits. The first deadline of the day was leaving for work on time. Habits made everything go smoothly. I knew how much time it took to drive to the village to walk. No thought was involved in showering and dressing. Breakfast was the cushion. I ate leisurely or quickly, depending on variations of habits. In those days I washed my hair every day, but I don’t need to now.

I still have many of the same habits, but I let my mind wander. I can look down at my soapy arm and wonder for a second what is next. Well, if it’s the right arm, the left is next. Sometimes I get lost while brushing my teeth. Noticing where the brush is, I know what is next, because I always do them in the same order. It’s outside upper right, lower right, without changing the handle, inside upper left, and lower left. Change direction of brush to outside upper right, lower right, then inside upper left and lower left. If I had to think through that every morning, I’d never get a thing done! Paying attention is the key to speed. I rarely need speed these days.

After getting to work, there were routines and habits that kept things going smoothly, for the most part. The same was true for the evening. Now, though, anything goes! I wander through my days at a leisurely pace. If I had flowers, I might stop to smell them, but I’m more likely to get involved in writing and chatting on line. If I haven’t dawdled, I play the piano and sing a little. That is a bit taxing though, because my mind has to make up the notes the eyes can’t see. Meal prep is easy – anything goes. I never whine and say, “I don’t like that.”

The choice is mine, whether to push through a chore or amble through it. I COULD be efficient if I chose to be, because I still have some deadlines and most of my habits.