The right kind of busy
As I was walking to the supermarket yesterday I started wondering to myself 'Matt, why do you enjoy things that are slightly inconvenient?'.
The supermarket I was walking to is not the closest to me, it's not the second or third closest, it's fourth. Yet, despite the extra distance I often walk the 25 minutes there and 25 minutes back quite happily. For a long time I've known that I deliberately embrace some inconveniences and make them a part of my life. If I go to my work's office (a rare occasion these days), I walk instead of ride my bike. If I miss a turnoff while driving I don't mind that it's added 10 minutes to my drive. I use a bundle of hacked together processes for my website, social media and even this newsletter.
While everything works, it's not very direct or very clean. While this would drive most people up the wall, I sort of love how much friction there is. It's the right type of busy.
I find the effort that takes more time keeps me energised, while the thinking that shaves time off and makes things faster is really boring. A few weeks ago someone asked my opinion about the length of a kitchen cabinet door as they were trying to optimise the distance between their toaster and coffee maker. It was beyond me to care, though over their life it's likely this will save more time.
The thing is I don't want to save time, the opposite really, I want to waste it. All the things I do that require more effort or time seem to make the days feel more full and memorable. If, for example, I'd walked to the closest supermarket I'd have finished in half the time, but then what? More time at home on my phone? Is that really a more lovely experience then a walk with my thoughts? If I'd researched better online solutions for my needs I might have a suite of software that works better, but actually some of the friction is fun and janky - like keeping an old car running a bit longer.
In a way, these types of inconveniences help me stay busy, the right kind of busy. When I was a kid I'd complain I was bored, and my parents would say 'oh then you could do the dishes' or some other chore. But the thing is you don't want to be busy with stuff that sucks, you want to be engaged. For some reason having these points of friction keeps me engaged - I have to have a bit of a plan and get on with it or stuff just doesn't get done.
In a similar vein I've spoken to a few people recently who've said 'wow you've got a lot on', but it doesn't feel like a lot: working, publishing, making art, doing more commercial stuff, writing too, it doesn't feel like that much. I don't know - it's the right type of busy. I find it a more enjoyable way to live to work a bit, write a bit, head to the post office to send a book to a customer, go to the supermarket, cook, clean, go for a walk, etc - just have a full day.
Something about that feels like each day has a bit more of something going on, a little more texture, holds onto time a little bit more effectively.