Getting Down To Work

Weekly commentary by CBS News Correspondent Andy Rooney, first presented June 3, 2001:

From the time we get up in the morning until we go to bed at night, we are faced with deciding what to do first and what to leave to do later.

The people who decide right are the ones who succeed. It starts the minute we get up in the morning.

Some of us decide to go to the bathroom, take a shower, get dressed and then have breakfast. Others get up, have coffee, go to the bathroom, take a shower and THEN get dressed. It's what kind of people we are.

I know guys who put their shirt and tie on before they put their pants on.

My line of work is different from yours probably but still, we have the same problems. We all have to decide what to do first. Take last Friday, for example.

I came to the office and couldn't decide whether to answer a pile of mail or write my newspaper column.

While I was thinking it over, I made a cup of coffee.

I wanted to get to work but I like to keep up with what's going on in the world, so I read the newspaper.

By then I was nervous about all the things I had to do, so I made a list. I often make a list of things to do instead of actually doing any of them.

Before I got at the list, I decided to make a couple of phone calls. I made some notes but when I tried to print them, I noticed the type was very faint, so I got a new ink cartridge out of our cabinet and changed that. It takes a while but it's satisfying to do.

I've been thinking I ought to buy a new printer so I looked at the catalog. It's fun to look through a catalog, even if you aren't going to buy anything.

The mail came with this week's issue of People Magazine. People isn't my taste, but I decided to look at it just so I know what other people are reading. Good crossword puzzle.

It was time for lunch, so I went across the street to get a sandwich. As long as I was going out, I decided to take my electric razor to get it fixed. The repair place is right near where I get my hair cut, so I called to ask if Manny could take me at 1:30 and I had my hair cut.

It was a nice day and I walked back to the office.

I passed a lot of good stores. I've been meaning to get a suitcase with wheels.

When I finally got back to the office, I'd had several phone calls. I returned those, but I didn't sleep well the night before so I closed both my door and my eyes and took a little nap.

After that, it was so late there was no sense starting anything, so I packed up and left. Tomorrow, I'm going to make some tough decisions and go right to work - just as soon as I have coffee, read the paper, and make a few phone calls.

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