Progress Report

Just over two weeks ago I set about developing some personal guidelines for Daily Planning. Setting a plan to actually get a particular writing project well on it’s way to completion was my goal. From my blog of March 5, 2018 this is the second draft of daily planning:

Guidelines for Daily Planning

1. Be prepared

2. Allow for flexibility

3. Balance project work with puttering

4. Be alert for busy work

5. Set a timer - begin with 25 to 45 minutes.

The short form of this tongue in cheek report is that, while I did accomplish more on my project from that beginning, the Dreaded Drift set in. Partly because of my own guidelines! After a couple of days - or was it at least a week - I recognized the downward pull of this drift and thought. Always a dangerous thing as it wraps around my legs and feet and ties up my hands. At least the drift stopped. But this time, I decided to eyeball this Dreaded Drift. What the heck was going on? I had good intentions. I’ve had a ton of good intentions in my life. Some have met with a successful outcome. Too many have not.

Number 1 - Be prepared - was not a problem. That is actually something learned in nurses training for doing dressing changes. Know the severity of the wound and the complexity of the dressing. Read the policy and procedure manual, gather the equipment needed for the dressing change. Explain to the patient the procedure…………In this case, the wound is my writing project and still in a very wounded state. I have read many, many books on writing and have learned the procedures needed. I’ve gathered my equipment. As I write this, I am surrounded by my preferred pens, my basket of writing things - not sure of all the contents, and my pile of wounded project pieces.  That last one though - explain to the patient. I guessed the patient would be me and in that light I have spent the last couple of weeks, observing me. Observing my daily habits. Seeing if my guidelines are workable or just a lovely list of words with numbers in front of them.

Number 2 - Allow for flexibility - I am nothing if not flexible. After all I’ve been doing yoga, a very basic yoga, for more than a couple of decades. Can’t touch my toes without bending my knees, but I’m not in bad shape. When flexibility gets as soft as a wet spaghetti noodle, everything slides away and is just mucky. Writing, in my opinion, should never be sitting and grinding through an entire hour or more unless there is inspiration. If there is inspiration, it is not a grind. Just now, I felt stuck on that last sentence, so got up walked toward the window, talked kindly to one of my plants and then returned to the keyboard. Flexibility. 

Number 3 - Balance project work with puttering. Well, I’d be working on some reviewing or some editing and I wanted to tidy the kitchen, or empty the garbage, or any of a number of things. But! I was good. I recognized it as a temptation and a distraction, so I faithfully stayed put at my work table.

Number 4 - Be alert for busy work. This one seemed to be a problem. There does seem to be a difference in puttering and busy work, but so far I’ve been unable to define it for myself. The results of not knowing the difference was that I developed a very, very untidy home! That changed yesterday when I knew my house cleaners were coming in. Not wanting them to have to clean up my untidyness before they did the cleaning we agreed on, I dumped things on my bed, on my card table, on my sofa…..any flat surface that didn’t need dusting. Tidying up after myself is a puttering/busy work task that I won’t procrastinate on.

5. Balance: Do you think I got a little unbalanced in the past couple of weeks? It looked pretty unbalanced in here, and I felt unbalanced as I looked around me each day.

6. Set a timer:  This has always been a good practice for me when I’m hitting the restart button for any project I’m doing. After I get moving, I find it can be an irritant, so I will turn it off. I use the one on my cell phone so I can change the ring tone if I would like a more pleasant or upbeat tone.

I have since added the term ‘anchor habits’ to this grouping. They are daily behaviours connected to my soul. Behaviours and beliefs with the solid feeling of rightness. One of them is this daily blog. I am grateful to all of you that read my musings. 

“I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.”

~ Carl Sandburg

Don’t forget!  March is Epilepsy month with Purple Day for Epilepsy on March 26 each year.