Defragmentation and Consolidation

Time is my most precious resource, but I have put significantly more time (ironically) and energy into thinking about how to save money, gas, electricity, water or even hard drive space. Said differently -  don't waste time to save money.

Consolidation
An older friend and mentor mentioned to me that he often double or triple books his time. For him this meant watching his favorite show with a relative (which had the third benefit of relaxing him). I had already planned to do this to some degree at the gym, but it is a broader life lesson. I need to incorporate my friends into what I do rather than relaying back to them later. There are only a few hours each day where I am rested enough to do this. They are too precious to spend aimlessly. I need to think about how my activities can link up or at least build synergy - maybe reading and meditation or running and TED talks.

Defragmentatation
Microsoft has a tool that will take all of the information on your hard drive and move it to one contiguous block of data, thus leaving one big chunk of free space at the end. This leaves room for big files and generally makes for a more orderly HD.

I need to do this with my time. One thing I have noticed about Facebook is that the aggregate time I spent  wasn't that great, but the intrusions are. My buddy was teasing me about my break and mentioned he didn't understand the issue. He said he spends an hour or two every Monday and Friday and catches up on everything. That's probably a good strategy. Turn it into something analogous to a TV show. I could do the same with email (which is a big distraction for me at work). Online dating goes on this list too. I could restrict texting to once every hour or so unless it's a close friend or something that needs an urgent reply (which is rare). I also shouldn't be spending precious mornings or daylight hours on my computer outside of work. I tend to write as I have an idea. I can jot out an email and deal with it in the evening.

Gratitude

• Grateful for chance encounters that lead to deep friendships. It's a lesson I should remember everyday and be more open to new people. 
• White privilege and good parents. I am fortunate to live in a society where I am perceived as nice and trustworthy. Rather than feeling entitled to this perception, I need to be more thankful for it on a daily basis (as it is a rare thing in the world) and work to give others the benefit of the doubt.
• Inclement weather because it is a reminder than I have a roof over my head, a house that keeps me warm and a society that has given me simple pleasures like electric blankets, wool socks and hot showers.