Posts Tagged: efficiency vs. effectiveness

“Concerning Burnt Oatmeal, Laundry, and Mindfulness”

On May 24, 2017 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

I burnt the oatmeal this morning.  Here is how this fiasco unfolded.

I got up this morning, having slept about six-and-a-half hours—with only one pit stop.  Pretty good for me.

I got out of bed, determined to accomplish a lot of stuff today.

Strike 1!

Then, I  thought to myself, “I need to use my time efficiently!”

Strike 2!  Efficiency is one thing.  Effectiveness is another thing entirely.  I know this at the theoretical level.  Living out the truth is another matter.

I stripped my sheets and pillow cases, and took them downstairs to launder them.  “I’ll have some nice nutritious oatmeal,” I said to myself.  So I put on the oatmeal.  Okay!  I haven’t struck out—yet!

However, you have already guessed where this is going, haven’t you?  In order to make efficient use of my time, I decided to put a load of laundry in the washing machine.  “It’ll only take a minute,” I lied to myself.

Strike 3!  You’re OUT!

There were some clothes that needed pretreated.  Oh, yes, I need to check my wife’s hamper to see if she has any things that needed washed.  She did.

By the time I got back in the kitchen, the oatmeal was . . . well, caramelized.  No, to be honest, it was burnt.  The smoke alarm went off shortly after I pulled the sauce pan off the burner.  I scraped out what could be salvaged and ate it.  However, the sauce pan may not be salvageable.  (The salvageable oatmeal was nice and smooth.  I’ll give myself that!)

Shortly after this bit of kitchen drama, a friend called.  He has gotten interested again in mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness?  That sounded pretty good at this particular moment.

Mindfulness can be looked at in many ways.  One term I think of when I hear or read the word is “awareness.”  Mindfulness, for me, is awareness of myself, my surroundings, and of other people—as I/they are, not as I would like myself/them to be.

The two aspects I needed to pay attention to this morning (and did not pay attention to) are awareness of myself and of my surroundings.  Well, to tell the truth, I mainly needed to be aware of myself: of my tendency to start things and not finish them, my tendency to try to pack too many things into a day, my tendency to elevate “efficiency” over effectiveness.  Awareness of myself is always more important than my awareness of oatmeal and laundry.

Of course, this burnt-oatmeal situation is a fairly simple case of  a lack of mindfulness.  But the same basic principle applies in more serious and important situations and relationships.  Am I being mindful in relation to my wife, my friends, and my coworkers?

So, what about you, dear reader?  Any need for mindfulness in your life?  I doubt that I am the only one who is burning the oatmeal.

, , , , , ,
Follow on Feedly