February 10, 2014

Remember old "Glass Timer" when you are overwhelmed with too many tasks reaching deadlines

The old glass timers were made of two glass bulbs joined with each other, with a small passage between.

From this passage only one grain of sand can pass at one time.

Upper glass bulb was packed with small grains of slippery sand.

The bulbs were kept one on one in such a way that grains of sand from upper glass bulb begins to fall into lower empty glass bulb.

Since sand grains could pass only one at a time, it used to take time before all sand grains can enter in lower bulb.

In this way time was measured.

In the same way suppose you are overwhelmed with tasks to do, the best way to do it is to do it one at a time.

Here, neither deadlines nor priorities are seen.

The sand grain which is nearest to passage, passes first in the lower empty bulb.

A doctor once said, humans are not made for multitasking.

Another psychiatrist said if we develop habit of focusing on one task at a time, it affects our ability to do multitasks.

Hindus have depicted Gods and Goddesses having 4 to 1000 hands. They must be able to do many many tasks at same time.

But for many of us, the Glass Timer method is the best.

Just as one grain of sand passes at one time, we can do only one thing at a time. No priority, no dead lines.

The task which is nearest to our hands, must be finished first and should be passed over to empty side of glass bulb.


Haresh Raichura
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