this is my final spring break (unless i decide to get that desired PhD at some point) for a few years as i'm in the home stretch of my social work studies. two months and fini! oh, nevermind the LGSW exam i need to sit for (and fill out mounds of paperwork to simply apply for the exam) OR the 3,000 hours i need to complete before sitting for the second big exam. then i'm a therapist . . . at least according to dc licensing requirements. what a journey i began when making this decision to return to school in 2009 while sipping coconut juice in costa rica. here's what i hope to do with it.
i'd slated wednesday and thursday as my days post-montreal for oodles of writing and editing (including a school ethics paper due next week = yikes). instead i stayed up past my bedtime perusing lodging on air b and b, slept in, explored refinancing chez moi, swept the floor, requested graphic design projects, swept the floor again, and dreamed way into the future versus tackling the here and now. #fail.
as i danced around the house this morning making tea and expressing glee to my not-so-gleeful le beau (who is not on spring break) about how i had this spacious day ahead, i had no idea that time would pass so quickly. tick. tick. tick. i keep diving into tiny to-dos that i want to check off my list (such satisfaction) with heaps of browsers open and a desk of paperwork (and pets) while these much larger projects loom. relate? thought so. it's a phenomenon.
have you heard of the pomodoro technique? i came across it via twitter and was drawn to the heading "how to induce a flow state on command." it's great article by a sweet blogger i met at world domination summit and the technique is intriguing. as i pull away from multiple browsers to focus and actually accomplish my bigger spring break tasks (fingers crossed), i encourage you, too, to observe that inner resistance that sometimes lies within. it's a bit of a bully. give it a little kick in the pants or take a nap and begin anew. the clock continues to tick. bisous.
6 comments:
Kimberly, you know I know this phenomenon too well! In fact, I am reading your post because I told myself that I *needed* a break from finishing a powerpoint for the class I teach...tonight (oy vey!).
In moments like this, I remind myself of the advice you gave me. Every moment is impermanent. The dryness of some of these tasks (powerpoint writing for example) will pass and happiness awaits.
I love the Pomodoro technique! Its a great way to stay focussed I use it every day!
sarah, so funny that my blog was your break and the message was so appropriate and timely! love when that happens and hope your presentation went well! x
darlynn, good to know. plan on trying it! x
All of this makes a lot of sense, but I've found that I tend to do things in opposite order. I get all of the "small stuff" out of the way first and foremost so that I CAN devote my full attention to the bigger tasks at hand without the littler ones sitting on my shoulder, prodding me with tiny pitch forks. It's sort of akin to Dave Ramsey's "Snowball" method of debt removal. Pay the littlest stuff first. Think of it this way: Isn't the "stuff" on our to-do list (big or small) all just debt? Only rather than financial debts, they're debts of our time. We've got to do them, right? I've just found that I do a much better job working on the big "debts" when the little ones are off of the table. Just my own personal quirk.
nicole, TOTALLY agree and i tend to do the same thing, but time management peeps say to focus on the big items or we'll never face them. there must be a balance although i tend toward you - what smaller things can i handle so i have a sense of spaciousness to tackle bigger. hmmmm. to be continued . . . x
Post a Comment