Remember Baribie’s infamous declaration “I hate math?” In the “great” tradition (insert sarcastic tone) of female stereotypes, I am not a numbers person.
So, I find it somewhat ironic that, when I’m evaluating myself or my life, I end up quantifying my judgments. I commonly have thoughts like:
“only 60% of me wants to go on this trip…” “On a scale of 1-10, I’d give myself a 7.5 on that presentation…” And, last night as I drifted off to sleep, I thought, “I spent 85% of my energy on work today. I literally ‘gave at the office’…’”
Along with this last thought, other percentages danced around in my head. I estimated that I had expended my energy in the following ways yesterday:
85% at work (it was only an 8 am – 4 pm day, but it was intense), 7% on myself (exercise, read advice columnists online and sit and daydream when I arrived 15 minutes early for a meeting), 10% on my family (most of that time in the car chauffeuring), 2% on my significant other (exchanging info about our days while cheering on our son at a basketball game and over dinner), 1% on my friends (a few, quick emails), .005% on my spiritual life (the quick prayer I offered before dinner), and .5% on my family of origin/extended family (email to my sister-in-law).
(Yes, for those of you who ARE numbers-oriented, I do realize that these numbers add up to more than 100%. But, gimme a break, I was half-asleep when coming up with them and grateful to even remember them this morning.)
I also remember the dissatisfaction I felt at the end of the day yesterday. Even my half-asleep self realized that these percentages were not conducive to a well-rounded life. That using up so much energy would result in my energy tank running on fumes by the time I made it home.
Do you ever think about how you spend your time and energy in a typical day? Normal week? I find it validating, particularly when one area of my life takes more time than normal (e.g., when a family member is sick). If the percentage shoots up in that area, it’s no wonder that I’m so tired if I try to maintain the other percentages in my life.
It’s Tuesday morning and time to wipe the slate clean. What will the numbers be today?
7-14-2009 18:33:59
Elaine, even though I’m a “word” person, I also find myself counting and quantifying things in my day. Actually, I think it’s a sign that I’m observing what’s going on in my life in an objective way, and it’s difficult to get more objective than “doing the math.”
I think doing the math can be a wake-up call for us, depending how we use it.
7-17-2009 12:30:42
I like math and am always looking for ways that numbers relate to each other and connect to what else I’m doing. I haven’t looked at my day in terms of percentages. Interesting perspective.