the hidden cost of transitions

i’ve been thinking recently about the hidden cost of transitions between activities.

when it comes to filling your day with things that you can look back on and be satisfied with, one thing that happens regardless of activity or action is the transition between A and B. this can be anything from driving home to changing clothes to just simply mentally preparing yourself. deceptively, these moments are where the time you intend on dedicating to the actual activity can be stolen.

for example, i don’t know about you, but as a human i try to do things in neat configurations. putting the volume of my car at a number divisible by 5. getting off discord at the hour mark. spoon and forks only for foods with rice. this sort of creeping necessity for things to be neat causes transition time between things, if not good enough or perfect, take far longer than i intend. not only this, but when one thing ends, the inertia of starting something new is pervasive and cumbersome.

to remedy this, i’ve been practicing jumping into things without particularly any thought. this isn’t anything new, i think i grifted this from an instagram reel from a productivity account: “minimize transition time between activities.” but i’m absolutely the type to lose 15 minutes here, 15 minutes there scrolling my phone after getting home, before starting something, before going to bed, etc.

i invite you also to heed the words of stanley yelnats,

just do it.
-shia labeouf

thanks for reading today’s post.
holes was a pretty good movie.