I use two different metaphors when I think about my busyness at work.

The first is a cliche: spinning plates. I manage 13 projects across quite a diverse portfolio. My job is keeping each of those project-plates spinning. A wobble is fine, they just don’t get to fall.

The second is my to-do list hydra. For each task I cross off, two more grow in its place. This has been my reality for a while now, though I finally have settled on a way of capturing and managing those tasks. I know which head to cut off next, generally.

Truth be told, I thrive on the pressure. I get stressed only on the parts of my week that become routine. I crave movement, the new. I wonder: is there any way to anticipate the routine, to put measures in place to mitigate it, or if by doing so, would I only be creating more routine for myself?