“Reverb 10 Prompt, Day 2: Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)”
Crooner Jimmy Buffett sums it up nicely: Indecision may or may not be my problem.
Sadly, there is no Mary Poppins...
In this case, I’ll fess up: Most days, writing seems less important than any of my latest projects awaiting completion. Even mundane tasks culled from endless to-do lists suddenly become of utmost importance — excluding, of course, the one domesticated chore I blissfully avoid until stacks of cotton + poly blends finally claim Mayorship over my poor walk-in closet. Yup, good ol’ Laundry-zilla. Both have a lot in common. Neither writing or laundry will wash, fold or conjugate on their own, and, if you wait too long, both are apt to form unrelenting piles of less-than-fresh, backlogged intention.
Indecision is my self-made barrier to entry. Sometimes indecision is baked inside crispy layers of fear and procrastination, sprinkled with baco-bits of perfectionism (not to mention just plain laziness). Sometimes indecision is just a fancy word for stuck. The only thing standing in the way of my own writing (or laundry for that matter) is simply a choice to make it a priority. Everyday.
What I’ve observed: The urge to write (ideas, dialogue, storylines) usually sneaks up on me early in the morn’ and late into the evening. I’ll grab my laptop, iPad, iPhone, digital audio device or any of the many notebooks-in-waiting to hastily record those rascally moments of inspiration before they dissipate. Oddly, I equate writing “for fun” as a nefarious affair with fiction — an indulgence — instead of what it really is: practice. Laundry, however, is just something else all together.
Yet, I know both are very practical — and necessary — to do in regular intervals. Spin words. Spin cycles. Finish stories. Have clean clothes. Life is bizarrely simple like that.
Solution? I’ve decided to make a standing date with writing. And with laundry. A double-date perhaps…?
[Big thanks to Erica O'Grady who 'creatively nudged' me to finish this post -- imperfect as it might be -- **before** I pick up some dinner noms waiting at the restaurant around the corner. Closing at nine. It's 8:59pm. This post is now done. As is. Thanks, E. ]
The nice thing about a double date is you’re less likely to be bored
The amazing thing is that what we focus on we get better at. Yes. Even the Laundry.
Maybe Mary Poppins said it best, “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. Find it – and SNAP – the job’s a game.”