By doing this we believe we have the right to feel that we have accomplished something and have a sense of accomplishment. However, we can forget that when living in another culture things can take longer than you can imagine. One thing I’ve learned is to pad my time. Things usually tend to take longer. This is not necessarily meant to be a negative thing: For example, in Turkey you usually don’t pop in to do something because you will be offered an ikram (e.g., some tea) and it is usually appropriate to accept.
Some of us expats were discussing this the other day and sharing how we handle the stress of this. One friend shared how he manages his stress by setting artificial deadlines and tries to follow them diligently. His approach allows him to have time for those offers of a cup of tea. He explained that he never knows when another project might crop up and by not procrastinating he manages to make deadlines and not get stressed out.
This sounds like good advice to me since you never know when an unexpected power outage could occur or some problem with the computer or whatever could slow you down. After all, whoever expected so many different cities and towns in the Thrace and Marmara regions to be shut down as they were this past Saturday? It is not unusual in Turkey to be somewhere and the assistant can’t help you because the server is down or the computer is overloaded. This seems to happen often in banks and airline and bus offices as well as in some retail stores.
Mind you I am impressed by how many young Turkish adults are true techies. Most are much better than me at making full use of their smartphones. I am learning that one of the best ways to make the most of your time is to use your gadgets wisely. Turks love their gadgets.
Foreign expats in Turkey often ask me what they should do when they are busy working and a Turk comes to visit unexpectedly. They want to see the person but they also need to finish the job. Maybe back in your home country you could explain the time is not appropriate; however, in Turkish culture, if someone drops in you can’t just say I am busy and tell them to come back.
If you have been wondering about this, let me share what I find helpful. It is true that it can be hard to block uninterrupted time. When I write it is important for me to be able to work in a setting where things can flow. You probably know this means that the flow state happens when you’re so absorbed in whatever you’re doing that you have no awareness of the passing of time and the work just happens automatically. It’s hard to trigger consciously but you can create the conditions for it by allowing yourself a block of uninterrupted time and minimizing distractions. The problem is that you may find it more difficult to block uninterrupted time or minimize distractions here.
Living in Turkey does provide ways to have extra time that you would not have if you lived back home where you drove everywhere. For example, one way I have found extra time in Turkish culture is by basically using the little blocks of time I have during the day while waiting for the minibus or dolmuş (shared taxis), standing in line, waiting for a meeting to start, sitting in traffic jams, etc. I just keep a small list of five-minute tasks that I can do in these moments or carry something to read or work on to make the most of these spare minutes. I found in the early days, I used the time to memorize Turkish vocabulary and short sentences.
Everyone wants to get stuff done, whether it’s the work we have to do so we can get on with what we want to do or the projects we feel are our purpose in life.
The trick is finding what works for you where you are.
Note: Charlotte McPherson is the author of “Culture Smart: Turkey, 2005.” Please keep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure this column is a help to you, Today’s Zaman’s readers. Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com
