The Song Unit March 25, 2015

A few years ago, while still actively employed at UCSF, I read a letter of recommendation for a job candidate whose first name was Song.  The referee noted that the applicant worked in 3- or 4-hour time blocks that her co-workers had come to call “Song Units”.  Since I was then working on a book project, mainly at home, I adopted the Song Unit to discipline myself.  I took on a schedule of arising early to accommodate one Song Unit in the morning, a three-hour break over midday, and another Song Unit ending by 6:30 pm.  The intensive periods of concentration, when I staved off any impulse to pay a few bills, weed, wash the dishes, or check my email, heightened my work.  But an unintended consequence was the beauty of the in-between time, when I forced myself not to work, not even to think about work, but rather to run my errands, walk with friends, take in an art exhibit or movie, or go to yoga.  Evenings were freed up too, for reading, dining out, ballet, symphony, or opera.  Each aspect of the day became more fulfilling, focused, and joyful. 

Once my sabbatical ended, I went back to my office, and I lost sight of the Song Unit until recently, when my friend Gail, a retired interior designer and now painter, told me that she was having trouble carving out blocks of time for her artwork.  I told her about the Song Unit, and I think she is trying to figure out how to make it work for her.  I’m reestablishing the Song Unit for myself, too.  And now, part of my Song Unit is indeed… singing!