Excessive Me Time

Like all but a few Americans, coronavirus has restricted activity but offered some beneficial behavioral changes.  I've spent scant money.  It was my intent to have a four day vacation during the OLLI spring break that didn't happen.  Not had coffee outside my house at all, one soda, one slice pizza and two sandwiches.  Zero new clothing.  Got some seeds for my garden, a light bulb for my desk lamp, and replaced a fishing rod & reel.  Needed some omeprazole. Refilled my prescriptions but no copay.  Everything else was either edible or used in the household.  Consumer spending drives the economy and I haven't done much. 

In the absence of new stuff, I have new time.  Obligatory things like Passover efforts largely proceed, those things that have inflexible deadlines and are important.  Most things are not like that.  As I review my daily list, some things like reading quotas have gone very well.  Others like writing or home tidying have challenged me to complete.  Last year I agreed to review some scholarship applications which I am doing again.  While I like doing them, and they have a deadline, I need a means of pacing them, which has gone reasonably well.

There are time sinks.  Facebook needs rationing.  Twitter offers me access to good minds but I'm not really an active contributor to the mental fray.  I listen to more classical music, which I think is good.  Hardly watch TV at all, and what I watch are largely streamed documentaries about animals and wildlife.  Not really a time sink, but nothing to show for the effort when the shows end.

Best option may be to act more businesslike, show up at appointments with myself to do defined tasks.  No reason not to have a stellar garden this spring, a usable basement, a tidy bedroom, or see my name in print.