What’s the rush?

Goooooooooooood morning, afternoon, or evening, wherever you might happen to be!

First, a little announcement regarding ‘summer programming’ here at Page by Page: as of next week I will be traveling almost every single week until mid-August (eeeek). It’s a freakishly busy summer, thanks to family travels, a major conference, and a writing retreat that were all unavoidably scheduled back-to-back.

But don’t worry, because you won’t miss out on your weekly dose of PBP! As I did last year, I’ll be posting summer gift posts of ‘greatest hits’ from the PBP archive, stuff that’s usually behind a paywall but will now be freely accessible to all. Paid subscribers will also hear from me on a regular basis during June and July for our usual writing check-ins via the chat.

And now for today’s post!

Lately, I’ve been trying to take my time a little bit more than usual. And this is verrrrry hard for me. I am by nature an impatient person (with myself, mostly). I like getting things done. I like crossing things off my list. When I can’t, it bugs me. And so because of that, I tend to be pretty brisk and efficient when it comes to writing and work (unless I’m booking travel, in which case I will procrastinate for ever).

So yeah, taking my time is hard for me.

But I’ve noticed that a funny thing happens when I take my time—solutions, nuances, and boundaries start to become clearer. When I take my time, I create a tiny bit of bonus space in my life, space for me to let things settle, let things come to mind, or even let things resolve themselves.

I’ve noticed this in particular when it comes to my work correspondence.

Usually, if I receive an invitation to review a book or contribute an essay or attend an event, my instinct is to reply right away. But here’s where taking my time works its magic.

Maybe I really don’t want to review something, even though I feel like I should. But if I give myself a little moment before I reply, sometimes I realise that the review wouldn’t seem so onerous if I scheduled it for a time in the year when I have fewer commitments.

Maybe I get so excited about an invitation to contribute an essay or attend an event that I want to accept immediately. But when I don’t, sometimes that gives me the time to ask questions about timelines and logistics that clarify whether or not it’s a good idea to accept.

Taking my time helps me make better decisions. It also helps me avoid doing things I will really regret later, like responding to a rude message while I’m still seething about it. (Trust me: you never want to reply to messages while you’re full of rage. Just let that rude little message sit there while you take a break and take care of yourself, so you can come back to it with a cooler head.)

So if I have any advice for you this week, it comes in the form of a suggestion: try taking your time. When you feel yourself inclined to act quickly or impulsively, give yourself a little more time than usual , whether that’s a few quiet minutes or 24 hours. Slow down, and see what happens.

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VB,

M