Way One vs. Way Two, Continued

The big point with these two different approaches to life is that I think that many people idealize the organized, disciplined, steady, non-procrastinating style of living. We look at the piles in our lives and think, "Really, it is ridiculous that I let these items pile up. I am a slacker. If I had any backbone whatsoever, I would institute some sort of uber-organized system of scheduling and prioritizing that would replace all of these piles with clean counter/desk/dashboard/bathroom counter space. With all of that space, I could really get some things accomplished." It's not that this isn't true, per se, but more that it is neither possible nor ideal for most people. Piles, junk drawers, half-finished home improvement projects, and impossible eight page to-do lists are the simple and unavoidable facts of having a rich and complicated life. Unless you want to miss out on the possibilities and surprises that life will drop on your head, you had better find a way to make yourself available, and a regimented lifestyle leaves little room for this. If your crazy friend from college shows up out of the blue with backstage passes to the U2 concert tonight, the answer is not, "Well, I'd love to, but my calendar has me paying two bills right now, then working out for an hour and a half, then I've got to fix dinner and at 9:15 I'll be dusting the bookshelves. But say hi to Bono for me. And see if you can find out how bald The Edge really is. Ask him to take off that beanie for a second." The answer is to grab your coat and get the hell out the door.

Of course, if you're always running off to see U2 at a moment's notice, the piles get pretty large in a hurry. I've always looked at this as a financial analogy: You are either making deposits on your future or you are borrowing from it. You can put things off, but you're going to have to pay the bill someday, and the procrastinator's weight is the interest on the loan. There is absolutely nothing wrong with borrowing from the future, especially if that currency is well-spent on drinking Jamison with Bono until dawn after the show, but if you're letting things pile up while you watch reruns of "Mythbusters," you've got to ask yourself if there might be a better approach.

Again, got to go to bed. More tomorrow. Hope you're not bored with this clumsy line of philosophizing. If so, check back in on Sunday or Monday. I should be through with it by then.