To Do or Not to Do

I've taken on far more than I should have over the past few months. Between my job, second job and volunteer job, I'd estimate that I work between 60 to 70 hours a week. This isn't something to take a perverse pride in - this is just perverse, and I have no one to blame for it but myself.

I'm not very good at "being" these days. I feel the constant need to set tasks for myself and then knock them down, one by one. Even right now, when I'm trying to be reflective, I'm persistently checking my e-mail and thinking about all the things I should be doing. I'm not sure what would happen if I tried to have a mug of tea and watch the world go by. My head would probably explode.

What's worse, I'm becoming dull. The daily events of my life used to provide a steady stream of anecdotes. I'd recount, for example, the time I helped Costa Rican hookers evacuate their worldly belongings as a fire swept through their tin shanties.*

Now, most of my stories revolve around e-mails, conferences and proposals. I can see people get more and more drowsy as I speak, and yet it's like I'm powerless to stop it. I have to force myself to not speak to people while they're driving, or else I'd cause the world's most boring accident.

I don't believe in New Years' resolutions, as I think they're an excuse for having 363 resolution-free days. So, I'm going to make an Easter Resolution. Here it is - I resolve to bring my work week to under 50 hours and make my life anecdote-friendly once again.

Anyway, here's a question for anyone who still reads this: Have you found that your life became more dull as you entered the working world and fell into a routine? If so, what have you done to keep it interesting? And if not, how'd you manage that?

* This happened.