I don’t really pay attention in English classes, I don’t know why, maybe cause I know I can bullshit through the exams and get a good grade, or maybe it’s because the topics just don’t interested me.
Whatever it is, recently for one of the first times, I paid attention and heard about the term ‘interstices’. It was just another quote thrown out from an extract about an interview with Umberto Eco by my English teacher. But somehow it stuck with me.
I believe that this word and its meaning can help us unlock a greater deal of productivity in life.
The meaning of the word ‘interstices’ is: the little moments in life, such as those spent waiting at a reception, riding an elevator or traveling in a bus. These are times of our lives that we casually waste away with not a second thought, but they make up such a large portion of what we call living.
There is no great moments in our lives without these fillers, and we’re wasting them every single day. Minutes that add up to hours which add up to days and months of our lives that we give no meaning to.
Mr. Umberto Eco mentions in the extract that he uses these ‘interstices’ to get his writing work done. That’s how he’s been able to write over 40 pieces of literature.
I’ve started to do the same with my life recently too. It was a new goal of mine this new year, to make use of all the moments of my life to serve me. To treat every waking moment with equal general importance.
Doing my reading and writing during these interstices have greatly helped me crank up the number of article ideas that I’ve been able to generate and complete, and I’ve also been able to read way more books in a single month this year than I have in quarters of a year until last year.
Try it, could make a dent in your life too. I’m not saying you should get work done during these times, but simply being more conscious of how we while that time away can be the key to utilizing it a little bit more in the future. Maybe it’s reading and writing like me, or maybe it’s some other idea you come up with for yourself, like meditation, or anything else that I cannot possibly think of that you fill your interstices with.
My idea with this write was to plant the idea of ‘interstices’ into the mind of you, my readers, so you become more aware of it and possibly find a way to make use of it.
Thanks for reading.
