packages to try or new hardware platforms to explore, there will always be plenty of fun in system administration.
There will also be a certain amount of chaos. System administration deals with the real world, and the real world is full of chaos.
However, I do want to eliminate the frustrating chaos that keeps me from having fun. Here's a little something about routines to keep in mind:
Routines give us a way to think once, do many.
Programmers figured this out a long time ago. They reuse code libraries rather than reinventing every new feature every time. Why reinvent the print function for each program you write? Sure, C's printf function isn't the most efficient way to print formatted data, but imagine how crazy (and inefficient) it would be if every program ever written reinvented a way to print data.
Routines are very powerful because they enable us to think less, reserving brain cycles for more important tasks. This is similar to saving brainpower by writing down our appointments and to do items instead of trying to memorize them.
Sample Routines
We can do the same thing in time management: develop routines whenever possible. Here are some examples.
Routine #1: Gas Up on Sunday
I refill my car's gas tank every Sunday. It's a routine I've developed, and it has served me well.
It all started when I realized that I'm often late to work on Monday morning, and I'm doubly late when I realize that I don't have enough gas to get to the office. I tried to get out of the house earlier on Mondays but that failed. Finally, I realized that it would be smart of me to fill up on Sunday so it was one less thing to do on Monday morning. It worked.
I used to procrastinate about filling my gas tank. As a result, there was a little extra chaos in my life, as random appointments would be delayed by my need to stop for gas.
I didn't just procrastinate, I fretted! 'Should I get gas now? I think I can make it.' 'Gosh, I'm running behind; maybe I'll get gas tomorrow. I'm sure I'll remember to leave the house early.' 'Oh, I was going to get gas last night, but I was so tired I forgot. Oh, damn.' A lot of brain energy spent on something so simple.
Now that kind of chaos is eliminated from the first half of my week—sometimes the whole week if I don't do much driving.
It's a nice, simple routing that works for me.
The part of my brain that actively thinks about things had one less thing to think about (getting gas), and soon the habit was in the automatic part of my brain. When I'm driving on Sunday, I fill my gas tank.
The key to a good routine is that with enough practice you start doing it without having to think about it. Less thinking about gas means more brainpower left over for other things. Eventually, you might actually forget why you established the routine. That's OK. In fact, it's a good thing. You don't have to think about breathing; it's an autonomic function of the brain. Imagine how distracted you would be if every few seconds you had to stop, recall why breathing is important, decide to breathe, then concentrate to move your muscles to inhale and exhale!
One Sunday I was filling up my tank, and I mentioned to my passenger that I always get gas on Sunday. He asked me why, and I couldn't remember. I just knew that I had been doing it for a long time, that I started doing it to correct a problem, and that it had successfully solved the problem for nearly a decade.
Wow! Talk about autonomic! It took me a minute or two to remember the original reason. How cool would it be if other things in our life that we fret about became automatic functions?
Routine #2: Always Bring My Organizer
In theory, I want my organizer wherever I might need it. I know I need it at work. That's obvious. I sometimes need it at home. Should I leave it at work if I don't think I'll need it at home that evening? Should I leave it in my car or take it into the house? 'Nah, I'll leave it here. I won't need it tonight.'
Then it turns out that I do need it, and since I'm too lazy to go out to my car, I agree to Thursday night dinner with friends, as I don't recall any conflicts with that date. I then either miss the appointment (since I didn't record it), or it turns out that I do have a conflict and I have to reschedule, which creates a lot of work for me and all the other people involved.
Is rescheduling more work than running out to my car to get the darn organizer? Of course. But I don't go to the car because when I'm in the moment, it feels like less work to try to remember the appointment. I want the easier option that exists right now, not in
