Faffing around

Faffing around. 

Have you ever heard that phrase? I hadn’t until last month at my younger brother’s wedding ceremony. Supposedly he faffes around a lot (and I do too!). 

My younger brother, Sam, married a British gal, Jess and alongside her charming accent, she’s welcomed into the family some new slang, including faffing around. 

Before you hit google to figure out what I’m talking about… Faffing around means wasting time or taking an excessive amount of time to do something that's pretty straightforward or quick.

I typically faff around when I’m trying to get out the door for a bike ride. Sometimes it is the hardest part of the ride. 

For me, I faff around not because the bike saddle is literally uncomfortable, but because getting into the saddle brings up some discomfort that I’m trying to solve via faffing. 

Here’s some of the things I faff around with: 

• Do I have all the necessary things to go on a ride? What are are the things I need to go on a ride?

• Have I turned off the stove, oven and toaster? 

• What’s the weather? Am I dressed properly? 

• When was the last time I put on sunscreen? Should I put on more? 

• How about bug spray? 

• Wait, have I paid my credit card bill? 

• When was the last time I checked my mail?

• Should I put that load of laundy in now? 

• My mom called and she needs to talk. Will I have time later to give her a ring? 

It’s not that putting on sunscreen and ensuring I’m dressed properly is an issue! It’s that as I start to ponder what I actually need to do, all the thought bubbles explode like a shaken up bottle of seltzer water. Suddenly, I’m in the “to do list” arcade trying to whack all the moles of stuff that needs to get done in my life. And I don’t like to let those things not be immediately whacked. 

So suddenly it’s 45 minutes after I was trying to get out the door. 

Here’s some of the things I try to do to avoid faffing when trying to go bike. 

• Anticipate and accept it might happen! 

• Have my bike related gear compressed into bags/one area, so I can grab things to go! 

• Checklists, with a gear list and list of routine questions that I need to answer before I go on a ride.

• A pad of paper and pencils by the door so I can write down tasks that I’m drawn to do when trying to get out the door.

So what helps you avoid faffing? What supports you to be kind to yourself when you are faffing and want to shift out of it?

I’d love to know… drop me a line at [email protected] . 

Wheels up, 

Ellen 

PS- Want to take pause from your faffing and get in the saddle? Register today for our next ride!

Pedal & Pause: A Rejuvenating Escape on Sunday, October 6th from 10:30am- 4:00pm

If you’re an outdoorsy gal who is ready to recharge your energy with a posse of down-to-earth gals as you bike and slow your roll, then join us for a rejuvenating escape where you are going to come away with a renewed, wonder-filled spirit ready to embrace the twists and turns of the season.