Since having children I have stopped using the 4 letter word $hit and instead replaced it with the word crap. (Shockingly, both of my children have been tested as having a high vocabulary.)
This word has many definitions in my life and the best way for me to define these is by using them in a sentence.
I don't give a crap.
This refers to my feelings on other people's opinions. At one point in my life a gave way too many craps about what others thought but I'm happy to report that I have run out of craps to give.
I don't want to do that crap.
This crap is actually useful but time-consuming. I love learning new things but I'm also a slow learner and know what would take the average person 5 minutes to learn will take me approximately 3 hours to learn.
With this in mind I avoid this type of crap by cleaning my house or burying myself in client meetings. The funny thing about this crap is that once I do force myself to spend the 3 hours to learn the new skill/technology/etc. I get what's akin to a runner's high. Buried beneath this crap is a diamond but I have to dig through the crap to find it.
Crap!
Something I have forgotten suddenly gets remembered but the time allotment for such task/activity doesn't exist. You know this feeling. I'm not going to elaborate as it's a one way ticket on the guilt train.
I need to get that crap done.
This crap is actually noise. It's not real work but instead the activities that can fill your day without moving you closer to your goals. Think, rearranging your spice rack or organizing your socks by color.
In the working world this can look a lot like sitting in meetings all day while for small activities while your big projects go unfinished at your desk.
I have found that between 2 and 3PM is when my complex thinking skills need a break and therefore this is when I embrace these mundane tasks that need to be accomplished but don't require my full brain power. (Scheduling a lunch with a friend, organizing blog topics, etc.)
I've come to realize there's good crap and bad crap in all of our lives. The crap we need to do, the crap we need to ignore and the crap we need help remembering. Learn which is which in your life and then, get your crap together. ;-)