It's hard to determine how much we accomplish day to day. It's a never ending list of items that builds and builds with no end in sight. We go to work, we go to school, we hang out with friends, we go to the gym, etc. Meanwhile, all of these categories also have subcategories bundled up into them. In school we learn multiple subjects at once and at work there's always many tasks that need to get done. The activities go on and on and on, but it's sometimes difficult to understand the difference between working hard and then just plain overworking.
I'll admit it. I'm a yes person. Even though I will claim to be assertive and definitive in my resolution to say no when necessary, I almost never turn down an opportunity to step up and carry a burden. Whether it be something that's personal to me or to help someone else, I'll do it. This is both my strength and my weakness, however, saying yes to new tasks or other time-consuming activities, just to make other people's lives easier, isn't the only reason I do this. I'm what I like to call a "Cognitive Mapmaker." This is not a real, accredited personality type. It's just a colloquial term that I've pulled from the recesses of my mind. It's a self-dubbed title that I gave myself to give a sense of order to my mind's chaotic thought process.
As a "Cognitive Mapmaker," I like to visualize my work and life in the form of a map. There's an order and direction that each piece is leading to and I always feel the need to know the whole picture. I can't stand not knowing how things in my life fit into the overall picture. It tends to make me antsy, and I always feel the need to be multiple steps ahead in my work especially. So without thinking it through sometimes, I'll add more tasks than should be deemed healthy, but I refuse to notice the combined weight these tasks bring with them until I'm drowning in my overwhelmed senses.
There is a quote by Mahatma Gandhi that I've been mulling over recently where he says, "There is more to life than increasing its speed." It hits me hard because it seems to mean many things at once and all of it applies to non-life-pacers like me. I'm sure he meant it to mean that we should always take the time to stop and smell the roses, but it also reminds me that even though I may try and map out everything in my life stressing myself out by overdoing it isn't healthy.
Life is supposed to come in stages. It's supposed to be enjoyed in the moment and appreciated at the right times. Take the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," for example. The narrative follows the main characters as they go throughout their journey to combat the British militia, rescue Elizabeth Swan, and return all of the Aztec gold to the chest and end the curse that plagues the Black Pearl. When the movie begins we know hardly anything about the pirates and their troubles except for their less-than-cheery relations with the British army. We only learn about the curse after Elizabeth gets taken by Barbossa's crew.
The movie is a success because the plot was carefully thought out and revealed to the audience at the proper moments. If we had gone into the film and the entire narrative had been disclosed to us in the first five minutes, then that would have been one of the most unsatisfying stories ever. But because the story developed naturally over time, we have a deeper connection with the story and the events. Life and its many plot levels should be seen through the same lens. It's unfulfilling and overwhelming to try and see the bigger picture all at once. When we try to do this we miss out on the little things in life, because we're just grasping each item to see how it all fits into our map. This practice is overwhelming and unfulfilling.
Being on top of our work and schoolwork along with every other category in our lives is important, but we need to be aware of the amount of weight we carry at all times. Don't let yourself be overrun by stress by attempting to do too many tasks at once. It's more important to take the time to appreciate each part of our personal narratives. So let's all take a breath and slow our speeds. Let's learn to pace ourselves because we all need to find our Aztec gold at the proper moment.
“We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it.”
- John Newton
