Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Kronos, God of Time

My best friend often teases me about my penchant for making lists and schedules. I'm not sure why I do this, other than the fact that, as a Capricorn, order and logic play a big role in almost everything I do. Capricorn is also symbolized by Kronos, or Father Time, so perhaps, given that, it makes sense that I am prone to trying to organize my time by making lists and schedules. My best friend on the other hand, is a Sagittarius. She barrels through life by the seat of her pants and seems to manage it quite well. If I tried that, I'd barrel myself face first into a brick wall and lay there thinking, "Damn, I didn't plan that very well at all."

That being said, I'm not a plodder. My moon is in Aries, and Aries is the action sign, the fast thinker, the go-getter. So when I plan, I plan fast. I can whip up a schedule at the speed of light and pull all the ingredients I need to put it into action at a pace that can make your head spin. I do this to my friend all the time. One of us comes up with an idea. A few minutes later I'll fire her off a schedule, a list, some type of paperwork that plots the whole thing out in finite detail. She says it sucks the fun out of it, takes away the spontaneity. For me, crazy as it sounds, the fun is in the planning. And, not the type to put all my eggs in one basket, I don't make just one plan. I have a Plan B. And C. Probably D, E, and F too. Once my brain starts it's hard to shut off.

You see, I'm also highly competitive. Did I mention I was a Scorpio rising? We like to win. You may not always see this competitive side of us, we can keep it well hidden if we so choose, but there are few things in life that gets our blood racing faster than competition. And for me, the race against time is just that. Planning and scheduling are part of the strategy. The back up plans are there to offer a segue in another direction, should I need to make a quick change of lanes to outmaneuver the clock.

So, all that being said, what did I do during my lunch hour yesterday? You guessed it. I planned, I plotted, I schemed. With less than 30 days before Reno, I needed to figure out a way to outline my first draft of D&B before I go. How could I crunch a 30 day first draft into 24 days? Where could I combine things, cut corners? In the end, I think I managed to figure it out. It may mean some revising on my way there, but with a long flight from NS to Reno, hey, I've got all day!

It may not be as sexy as flying by the seat of my pants, but it's like they say - when you're good at something, stick with it. And managing time is something I'm good at. I can't help it. I'm just astrologically inclined that way.

8 comments:

Maxx said...

K... wait... when I stop laughing I'll comment...

Kelly Boyce said...

You know, I don't mock you when you fly by the seat of your pants so I don't quite get why you insist on laughing when I do things my way.

Maxx said...

No I'm not laughing at you! I'm laughing at your post cause it's so true.
Sorry... didn't mean you to think I was laughing AT you.

Kelly Boyce said...

Good to know - because you know me well enough to imagine what I would be like if I didn't have my schedules to rely on. It would just be ugly.

Maxx said...

I know I like to tease your need to make lists... but it's all in good fun. Your way works for you and my way works for me, even if I do hit the occasional windshield along the way. And dear god I wouldn't want to be around you if you weren't organized. Your head would blow off your shoulders and lord knows I'm not cleaning that up.

Melissa Amateis said...

I wish I could manage my time like you do. I think I'd get a whole lot more accomplished. But I'm a Gemini - a true twin. :-)

Donna Grant said...

Well, Kelly, I'm also a Capricorn and have lists everywhere, except when it comes to my writing. I'm a seat of the panster, well...after I do my character question list. :)

Anonymous said...

One thing I've learned is not to mess with the way that it works for you.