“One stone!” I proudly yelled out.
“Noooo! why you gotta be so violent? One whistle… shoo two birds with one whistle.” corrected my music teacher. We were discussing which percussion instrument I should opt for, since I loved them all. By choosing the Congas he explained, I could easily merge to the Cajon or the Djembe in the future, therefore getting more bang for my buck.
“I’m a Two-Birds-One-Whistle kinda guy.” he then added, commenting on his way of accomplishing things.
For the following week, the idea of “killing two birds with one stone” stuck with me (unfortunately, I’m used to the stone). It’s really nothing new. In fact it’s one of the earliest English expressions I learned growing up. The event of one action accomplishing two tasks happens to people all the time, and very often accidentally, so it’s only normal that this clever yet disturbing expression is so commonly used. However, this time around, it had struck me as something different….not a natural occurrence, but as a mindful way of goal setting.
Especially NOW, that time is NOT on my side.
(Have we got some Amens over here?!)
Yup, time is precious, and as you age, it gets even more precious. And the more limitations you have, be it an illness/injury, caregiving commitments, incarceration, then of course time becomes even MORE precious! Whichever the case, if we could learn to manage our tasks wisely and creatively, we could definitely defy this ceaseless ticking clock and make the most of our precious time.
Having said that … this blog was actually a product of two dead birds! (Okay fine, two flown away birds.) Yes ! I must rightfully give credit to those birds and admit that the first 3 posts (on learning and procrastination) were actually written to complete a course assignment. I did NOT have to create a blog for it, but the assignment was to present in any form, the learned material and personal thoughts. Since I had been contemplating the startup of a new blog and dreading its technical process, I felt like it was the perfect opportunity to Kill two birds with one stone. Not only will I have completed my assignment (which I aced by the way…hehe), but I will also have my blog up and ready with not one, but three posts on a topic I actually enjoy (hence taking the course, hehe). BINGO! Two-Birds Mission accomplished!
Some of you may be scratching your heads wondering what the big deal is, but if you’re like me, and you have too little time for whatever reason, good or bad, and you’re an easily distracted ‘procrastinator’, it’s a BIG DEAL. The previously mentioned example was a relatively simple one, but I have since thought of crazy-novel ways to work towards multiple grander goals via one path (to talk about in future posts), which in turn, made me more optimistic about actually achieving them.
Yeah sure, combining your dog walk and morning exercise is fantastic, but can you think of something bigger you can take on, which will contribute towards two or more goals ? Perhaps something you’ve been reluctant to do? With larger benefits, will it be more motivating to do?
It may not come to you right now, but keep those two birds and that one stone (or whistle) in mind.. you never know what creative ways could help you buy time. Lots of time.
