Time Management and Other Failures

Time management has never been a trait that I possess.  I could break this down to a fundamental lack of organization in my life (just look at my desk) and a slight case of A.D.D.  Basically, I have the complete inability to create an organized system, and even once I do then I can’t focus on any one thing long enough to actually complete it.

Anyone who has observed me trying to clean house can attest to this.  I wash three dishes, then hang my laundry, then straighten the book shelf. Next, I’ll wash a few more dishes, start an email, load the washer and mop the floor. Finally, finish the dishes, make my bed, finish the email, clean the countertops. etc, etc.  It’s not that I get distracted by the TV or telephone or anything else, I simply can’t stay concentrated long enough to finish anything in one sitting. Or standing as dishes may be concerned.  This is my self-diagnosed A.D.D.  It’s simply how my brain has always been wired and believe me, it frustrates me far more than it frustrates those around me. Hence, why I make lists. Things get done with a list.

Since moving to Korea this has gotten so.much.worse. I also feel like my IQ has dropped substantially because, as foreigners, our brains kind of go on autopilot here. My job isn’t particularly demanding and I have no real responsibility outside of paying my bills and walking my dogs.  My vocabulary (which wasn’t all that large to begin with) has shrunk to about 60% of what it once was and I sometimes find that basic sentences have become difficult to construct. I noticed the frightening extent of this while I was home for the holidays. It was embarrassing that I was constantly forgetting words and losing my train of thought.  That’s what a year and a half in a country with a different native language will do to a person. 

Needless to say, this is a problem. A big one.

Thankfully, my lot in life is that of a problem solver.  Due to my ever declining IQ and verbal ability, I have decided to start studying for the GRE.  At this moment in time I don’t have any immediate plans to return to school (and even if I do, I won’t necessarily need to have taken the GRE) but I feel like it’s a good way to get my brain back to work and build the vocabulary back up again.

Blogging has helped, too, though I’ve completely lost my routine with it.  It takes me about 3 hours to write one blog so if I sit down to write one, then I know I’m sitting down for a while.  When I first moved here blogging was my balance, my center.  It was part of my routine, and kept my feet on the ground.  Life in Orlando was  very unbalanced and chaotic for me.  Blogging kept me from getting lost in the chaos of life again.  I’m trying to come back to that.  This website has been a great benefit for me in many, many ways.

So now, I am trying to create a system (obstacle one) that I can follow and maintain on a daily basis (obstacle two) that will keep me focused on both my blog and the GRE.  I am also training for two (TWO!) 10Ks in the month of June.  (Shocking, right?)  and throw in reading a book or two because, really, reading is the best way to improve your vocabulary. I know that.