Blog RSS FeedBalance: on seeking it.
So, some of you are very organized people. You have no problem maintaining a schedule, keeping your food healthy, getting a moderate amount of exercise, and keeping everything in your home in its proper place.
This post is not about people like you. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read on–in fact, keep reading, because you will find lots of opportunities to be happy with yourself and the discipline you have cultivated.
If you’re the other kind of person, like me, keeping all of the plates spinning isn’t quite so easy. Tending to one plate generally means two or three others slow down or come crashing to the ground: if I’m on a deadline, I’m not exercising, AND my house starts to look like the intake at a Goodwill drop-off, AND I eat marshmallow and Diet Coke fondue every twenty-five minutes (that’s not really what I eat… but it’s the nutritional equivalent). Or, if I’m exercising and eating well, I don’t seem to have time for anything else. Or, if the house is clean and dinner is cooked by, you know, dinner time, everything else falls apart. Or, if I’m keeping up with Facebook and Twitter, I’m unable to accomplish anything else.
I think this is because, as writers, we are constantly striving to find new and better ways to procrastinate. So doing something else for a while isn’t enough–we need to find a way to make that thing the ONLY thing we can do. That way, nobody can blame us when we don’t hit our wordcount.
For 2010, my goal is to find balance. Not just to concentrate on one of these things, but to divide my focus among all of them. And–gasp!–to do it well enough to keep my household running (and fed), my health in a normal human range, and my work schedule efficient and effective.
Even though it sounds impossible, I think that might not be the case. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that once you get all of your plates spinning, things actually become simpler.
The reason for this, I suspect, is the concept that we procrastinators try very much to avoid: self-discipline supports itself. It’s kind of an all-or-nothing proposition. If you’re always saying yes, it’s much harder to say no in one area. But if you’re able to temper all of your yes with a healthy sprinkling of no, you get in the practice of it.
At least that’s what I hope, and that’s why I’ve been so scarce lately. I’ve added a little no to my yes, and my house is getting cleaner and my body is getting healthier (that’s the plan, anyway), and my to-do list is getting done.
…Just in time for my editor’s notes to come and blow everything out of the water! But I’m hoping that will just be one more spinning plate.
Related posts:February 3rd, 2010 Katie Alender
Don’t worry. I like to procrastinate to. I think it’s hard not to. I don’t like to do the stuff, therefore I wait to do it until later. I’m just glad that your getting balance in your life. It probably helps. And don’t worry about eating heathly that much, these days, no one does unless they have a reason to.
LOL, Trisha! That has been exactly my attitude about eating healthy food, and it got me in trouble! I’m definitely not going to go overboard, but I was being quite naughty with my food choices and I knew it. So I had to rein it in a little just so it didn’t get totally out of control.
Well not eating healthy food can get you in trouble. I do eat mostly healthy, except for the school’s greasy food. I think you have a good idea, to eay healthy I mean. People really should. It’s a good idea. Hopefully you can stay balanced.
Balance…it’s so elusive!!!
How’s Winston?
I procrastinate at getting up in the mornings. I often end up at the bus stop with one shoe.
I am in your club, Katie! I have a terrible time trying to keep all my plates sp?nning. The best thing I have done this year is to NOT make new year’s resolut?ons. F?ngers crossed for both of us trying to keep all those things going at once…
Damn Turkish keyboard! i vs ? — I always forget which is which…