Do You Have a Schedule or Rotting Peaches?
“A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time.”
It’s peach season in the South.
Well, almost the end. But there still seems to be an abundance of peaches at markets and groceries right now. And they’re delicious.
It’s also the season for blueberries and blackberries.
People who pick fruit would be foolish to enter the orchard empty-handed. Pulling peaches off the trees without a basket is short-sighted and foolish. The same is true for berries.
You’ve got to have a basket to gather fruit.
The same is true for our days.
According to Annie Dillard, a schedule is our basket. Our net. Our scaffolding.
You and I need a schedule for our days in the same way we need a basket for our berries. Activities run amuck mean days, weeks, and lives run amuck. Chaos not only ensues but becomes a permanent dwelling place. Peaches soon land on the ground to rot.
My primary tool for schedules is a calendar. And it’s more than just for appointments.
- Time-block mission-critical activities.
- Time-block activities that need focus.
- Time-block activities on deadline.
Without a scheduled calendar there are too many interesting, unimportant things vying for attention.
The last thing I want or need is to end my life with nothing to show for it - save a massive number of peach pits on the ground.
