This Isolation is wreaking havoc on my efficiency and making me less productive. 

Probably most people and businesses in general are running at a lower efficiency than they normally do. I was talking with someone recently who said he thinks he’s operating at 70%.

It’s understandable. We are finding our way through a new set of rules and measures. Life is not what it was a few months ago before coronavirus.

I am in the same boat as most people, although, if anything, I should be more productive and working at a high efficiency. You see, I work best when it is quiet, and boy is it quiet at work!

I hear of people working from home and being on Zoom meetings where their three-year-old makes an appearance several times during the meeting … and the kid isn’t updating their dad or mom on the latest sales projection numbers.

I know some people are going nuts trying to get work done at home. 

I’m the opposite. I still go into the office, and I’m the only one there. It’s really quiet which should be perfect for me. 

I once had an assistant who loved to play music when he worked. He often would play it Friday mornings when I was trying to write my sermon. He would keep the sound low but he had a subwoofer in his office and all I would hear was boom .. boom . . . . . . . boom . . boom . . boom echoing through the wall between our offices.

I couldn’t concentrate at all.

It’s probably because of my ADD that I need quiet to focus, but the quiet isn’t even working these days. Anything can take my attention away from what I’m working on.  

In fact, the other day I stopped working on my sermon to pray. After a moment or two of prayer, I realized I had spotted a black squiggle mark on my desk and my mind went to some cleaner in the kitchen I had seen earlier. I almost stopped praying to go get that cleaner when I realized what I was doing and got back to praying. 

Maybe it is too quiet here at the church. Maybe I need a couple of three-year-olds messing with my mind and my patience. 

Wait … I’ve been there before, and no thanks; I’m not going back.  

But maybe it’s not my ADD. Maybe I’ve been going for too long without a break and I’m running out of steam. 

Come to think of it, it’s often around now that I remember my summer vacation is coming up and I start thinking that it can’t come fast enough. 

Maybe it’s that I would normally be a little more active by now. I would be mountain biking and golfing. I haven’t done any of that and I haven’t really been working out in my home gym either. 

It’s possible that it’s all these factors and the isolation has just created the perfect storm for them all to be working against me. 

Here’s the thing: This isolation can get you off your game with your time with God. Your schedule has changed; you don’t have the same routines as normal. You may have different demands placed on you. All these things can create that perfect storm that makes spending time with God more difficult. Let me encourage you to find some calm in that storm. Eke out some quiet waters where you can listen to the Lord for direction and guidance through a turbulent time. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How efficient have you found yourself to be in this isolation? Leave your comments and questions below. Hit the “like” button if this has been helpful and subscribe if you want these posts to come to your inbox.