Moments Between Moments

Mario Schulzke -

Before I had a kid, I never thought much about the moments in between moments. Now that my time is in much more limited supply, I am a lot more aware of those moments in between moments.

  • Daycare pickups
  • Commuting to the office
  • Walks to the store
  • The 15 minutes between meetings
  • Commuting to campus

My schedule has tightened, so I have become more aware of these moments. And they've become more critical. Rather than rush to whatever is next on my schedule, I've consciously tried to be more thoughtful about how I spend these moments.

  • Sometimes, that means running with a stroller to drop my daughter off. Exercise checked.
  • Sometimes, it means listening to an audiobook while riding my bike to work.
  • Sometimes, it means doing nothing, just walking to work and using that time to meditate on some issues I've been chewing on.
  • Sometimes, it means calling an old friend to check-in.

By being more conscious of these little moments, two things have happened.

I've been more productive, primarily using these moments to be more healthy - walking, running, or biking, even if it's just for a short period or distance. It's always better than driving, that's for sure.

Even when I use these moments to do nothing - to think, meditate, and be aware of my space, I get value from that time.

Everyone is busy these days. We all have too much going on. But we also all have these moments between moments.

Be aware of them. Use them even if it's to do nothing.