Do you ever have those days when you are so busy that you cannot even fathom what it is like to not be busy? To have forgotten what it is like to relax or go to bed at a decent hour? This has kind of been my life, as of late. Time management isn’t even necessary because it is already managed. I know exactly where I have to be and what I should be doing. There just aren’t enough hours in the day for me to figure it all out. A couple weeks ago, a co-worker said to me, “I hope you can swim because the waters are about to rise.” He was right. I am a good swimmer, unfortunately, I enjoy the sharks…


I have been working on a project late at night for the last several days. It is exciting and will be over quickly but it, along with several other projects, has left me rather drained, in my brain. I feel invigorated physically and I am emotionally sound and quite happy. But my brain is, completely, tired. And I am glad. It feels good to be thinking so much, to be working so hard and to really enjoy that work. I venture to guess that not many people feel this way right now.

I write incessantly these days and it brings me much clarity of thought, allowing me to really think through my day, my tasks and my needs. A couple nights ago, I was sitting at my computer late in the evening, typing away. Get this..., I fell asleep with my fingers on the key board. Seriously, I did. In the past, I have said these words, “I can practically do that my sleep,” but I never attached a literal meaning to it until now. I actually typed in my sleep. While the sentences I wrote were non-sensical, the words were all spelled correctly, amazingly enough. It is nice to know that some standards prevail even during sleep. While sleep-typing is not a practice I recommend, it has certainly revealed my need for consistency.

I literally dream about writing. I enjoy business-speak. I live off of strategy. I crave intelligent conversation that doesn’t include irrationality. I am a perfect candidate to embrace the kaizen philosophy. Kaizen was originally developed in response to the demand for perfection in manufacturing, and later, management. There is always a better way, and to strive to find it on a consistent basis is the underscore of kaizen. Why would you not want to find the better way? I am guessing, that sleep-typing is not included as a best practice. I still have room to grow, apparently.

I have learned that the phrase “I can do that in my sleep” is not something of which to be proud. That doesn’t mean that I will push myself less, what I think it means is that I will work smarter. A few years ago, I studied some of the teachings of W. Edwards Deming. He was an expert at attaining quality; he obviously embraced kaizen. He is quoted often and one of my favorites is, “It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best.” Sleep-typing? Not my best…



© by rayannethorn


and then..., just for fun