the watch of time

Yesterday, for the first time, I binge watched a TV show: season one’s ten episodes of Better Call Saul were run, prior to its launching of season two later on last evening.  (The host speciality channel, AMC, has made a habit of such volume-based indulgences, including with its other hit series The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad – Better Call Saul actually intended as a prequel to the latter.)

For good measure, commercial breaks were replete with plaudits from various media about the first season in 2015, commonly plastered to the initial beats of Aerosmith’s classic rock tune “Back in the Saddle”.  These virtual extensions of the buildup (in addition to regular commercials) contributed to the unusual scheduling of those ten hour slotted episodes actually being shown over eleven hours.  Naturally, the playing provided a revisiting of the characters and initial plot developments as reminders to aficionados, but especially benefiting those who may have seen only some (or none) of the episodes when they ran a year ago.

Upon reflection, there are some potential applications of this show’s coordinated binge approach to other activities in our lives:

 –  when facing an important deadline, prioritize, learn from past mistakes, work and focus with meticulous determination, take limited, strategic breaks, and build up to a conclusion based on a solid foundation

–  if getting ready to engage in formal or informal debate, rehearse and retool your people skills for ‘show time!’, as well as preparing for tangential darts of not necessarily welcome perspectives 

 –  when preparing an important business presentation for a prospective client, replay and re-experience other similar successes, particularly if they illustrate your personal improvement, while snapping on your commitment as needed

 –  when getting ready for a large annual family gathering, via pictures or video re-engage the subtle and the obvious interpersonal relationships, noting how their evolution impacts you; pay attention to overt interactions with matriarchs and patriarchs, where there may be subplots

 –  if getting the mindset in gear for some serious seasonal shopping (alliteration a bonus), review the previous year’s expenses, and patterns of experience, to see what can be done more efficiently this time, and what may be encountered as red herrings    

 –  when starting out on an elaborate family vacation or excursion, research the itinerary, budgeting for time, expenses, and contingencies, but open to pursuing unexpected, worthwhile divergences  

 –  when facing the potentially onerous spectre of the tax preparation season, calculate where available and enter once in meticulous, accessible records, and make sure to have your submitted ducks ready for verification, even if they’re hidden

 –  if looking to make the most of a career change, or retiring from the workforce, think long and hard about the immediate consequences, plus discuss the longer term with those you trust or who may be impacted, with a backdrop of relevant, objective projections