I don’t understand what my brain’s exact mechanism is for calculating how much attention per time is due for fast approaching deadlines, but I do know that I tend to be ok at getting things done, so the mechanism must be working.

The Pareto Principle comes to mind, which says that 80% of outcomes can usually be attributed to 20% of causes. I do currently seem to spend about 80% of my university semester faffing around and 20% (or less, if I’m honest) of my time actually studying and doing assignments, but that 20% (or less) of my time does seem to produce 80% (or more) of my actual learning (and 100% of my grades via assignment work).

There is a lot to be said for faffing around though, especially in my field of study/line of work. The counselling profession is inseparable from the work of everyday human living, and what is faffing around if not prioritizing the ultimate learning ground, the living of life itself?

My most recent faffing around was on a road trip with Pencil in the Otways region of Victoria for my birthday this week. It’s always excellent to get away from responsibilities and recharge in nature, eat good food and enjoy relaxed company, but I have an additional layer of gratitude for getting to have that experience without needing to do any of the planning/organizing myself, because this week, Pencil did it all.

I enjoyed every aspect of this getaway but one part of it stood out above the rest – a tour of a restaurant’s kitchen garden, led by their head gardener, where I got to experience the passionate, skilled, supremely nurturing, behind-the-scenes work of a farm-to-table experience. It is an understatement to say I was inspired. I learnt so much about myself, about excellence, about relational negotiation and strategy in the most neutral of contexts, about what it looks like to learn from someone who is clearly at the top of their game, and about what my own next steps would be to improve my game (in general, but also specifically in the context of growing vegetables and harvesting and converting them into wholesome meals).

I have no regrets about spending 20% of my university semester studying, and faffing around for the remaining 80%, because I get to do it with the most stimulating and enriching faffs that I absolutely believe will make me a better counsellor than if I just spent my whole student life with my head buried in books.