Today it is my pleasure to offer you some wisdom from a recently-retired colleague, Katherine Coram. She is reflecting and writing on aspects of successful retirement, and herewith presents a suggestion for you:
Beware of “mushrooming”—the tendency of minor time commitments to take up a whole lot more time and attention than they deserve.
A doctor’s appointment, shopping trip, social engagement or volunteer commitment that you would previously have squeezed in can become a full-day focus. I teach a one hour class, but I manage to put most of the day into preparing for it, getting dressed, and feeling virtuous afterward.
Activities around the house can mushroom too, especially since housecleaning and yard work DO take us more time.
If you decide to do a part time job or consult or freelance, it can easily take up as much of your time and energy as your full-time job did.
You can even fall into preparing a couple days ahead for an activity that doesn’t require it. A friend told me about her mother focusing much of her week on the day she had to take out the trash.
If you would have ideas on mushrooming or would like to read more of my thoughts on time management in retirement, please email me at dvtcoram@verizon.net.
Katherine Coram is a former Federal employee, who is still trying to work out this retirement thing.
Thank you, Katherine. I had not heard the term mushrooming as an aspect of time management. Does anyone out there identify with the temptation of filling a day with a small matter?
Next: how to avoid the mushrooming phenomenon.
