I'm Totally Swamped. Let's Go for a Run
Mark Remy

Yesterday was insane.

I'd been working, at home, since shortly after 7 a.m. Then ran to the office just in time for a 10:00 meeting. Then dashed to another meeting, which I'd expected to take 15 minutes. It took an hour and 15 minutes. Then I hustled to join a conference call. That ran two-plus hours.

The whole time, I couldn't stop thinking about my to-do list. I had so much undone, so many e-mails, so many requests from so many different people about so many different things, it was nearly paralyzing.

By the time I got back to my desk, finally, that to-do list had grown exponentially. As had my e-mails, most of which were urgent: Hey! This is overdue! and Hey! Can you give this a read? and Hey! Can you just answer the nine things highlighted in green in this spreadsheet, btw, it's due now! and Hey! Can we chat about the 2010 budget? and Hey! Check out these mockups! and Hey! Are these revisions OK? and Hey! These submissions are due! and on and on, and there were various other crises percolating and meantime I was behind in updating the homepage and I still had to call the insurance company about this cryptic form they'd sent me and find a kennel for the dog and...

"Hey! You running today?"

Wait. That wasn't my inner monologue. That was Sean, who had materialized in front of me, raising his eyebrows and doing that runner-pantomime thing where you sort of bounce in place and pump your arms.

I stopped. I thought. I blinked.

"Yes," I said. "Yes. I need to run."

And so we did. I walked away from the to-do list, and the e-mails, and the clamor. We changed, and ran. And the stress melted away with each step. 

I returned to my desk feeling like a new man. Then I hacked through that to-do list like I had a machete in each hand.

It was amazing.

Even after all these years, running continues to amaze me. Mostly in its ability to clarify -- to make things OK and bring you back down to earth, even when things are insane. Especially when things are insane.

It sounds paradoxical, or cruel, like a taunt: Don't have time for a run? Go for a run. But it's not. It's solid advice. Those times when we're busiest are often the times we need running the most. Even if it's just a 15-minute jog, the time debt repays itself -- and then some -- in clarity, productivity, and, well, sanity.

The question isn't, "Do I have time to run today?" The question is, "Do I have time NOT to run?"

After yesterday, I know what my answer is.

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direct link to article:
http://dailyviews.runnersworld.com/2009/08/im-totally-swamped-lets-go-for-a-run.html
sources: http://www.runnersworld.com