You ever have one of those days where time gets away from you? When you have ten hours’ worth of “to-do” items and maybe six hours in which to do them?
That pretty much sums up life as I know it. So many grand plans, so little time in which to execute.
We all choose how to spend what precious little time we have, and speaking for myself, I seem to make the wrong choices on a fairly consistent basis. See, when facing a time crunch, I’ll usually focus on everyone else’s priorities: what do my clients need? my family? my friends? (Supposedly, this tendency stems from the fact that I have two X chromosomes.)
This approach makes me cranky because, at the end of the day, my priorities – little things like gym and writing time – remain unmet.
I don’t feel virtuous for taking care of others; instead, I feel really irritated with myself for not doing the things that matter to me.
However, when I let go of my all-or-nothing mentality and give myself permission to “taste” what I want, I not only make progress toward my own goals, but I also have more energy and a kinder spirit for taking care of those demanding “others.”
Typically, I like to run a 5k at the gym. Maybe I only have time for two miles. Instead of complaining that I don’t have time for the full 3.12 miles, I should squeeze in the shorter workout and pat myself on the back.
Ditto for writing. My daily goal is typically around 1,000 words per day. Even if I only write 200 words, that’s 200 words more than I would have had. Several 200-word days add up quickly, much faster than a succession of zero-word days because I couldn’t commit to two or three hours of writing time.
These little tastes move me closer to my goals, and they encourage me to do better. By contrast, ignoring my goals completely sends the message that I’m not serious so I might as well give up.
As I write this entry, it’s the end of a taxing work week. I’m tired, and I really want to curl up with the latest Stephen King novel. But I feel really good about banging out the first entry in nearly two weeks. In fact, I even feel motivated to pick up my fountain pen and scribble a few hundred words on my novel. Will I write enough to bring me within shouting distance of this week’s 7,000-word quota? Doubtful. Still, taking up my pen and writing anything will reinforce the fact that I am a working writer, and it will motivate me to do even better tomorrow.
Does an all-or-nothing mindset hinder you in your writing? Try picking up a pen or pencil and write for five minutes. Tomorrow, write for six, and go for seven the next day. Share how these tiny tastes of the writing life work – or don’t – for you.
