These days who doesn’t have a zillion things to do?
The way I cope is by making lists. Each morning I think about the day ahead, decide what I want to accomplish, and jot down on a piece of paper my game plan. The upside is that I get things done. I send in my taxes early. I
The downside is that sometimes I get so caught up in ticking items off my list that my life devolves into an endless loop of tasks. Like the mythical Sisyphus, I no sooner complete one round of to-dos than I start another. (Sometimes I think that the ancient Greeks understood more about the human condition than we do.)
Efficient? Yes. Thrilling? Not so much. I don’t know about you, but for me, merely labeling an item as a “to do” takes some of the joy out of accomplishing it.
My current solution? To designate every Saturday as a no-list day. Last weekend was the first time I ever tried this, but so far, so good. I spontaneously re-worked a chapter of my novel. For fun! After which I grocery shopped. For fun! Then I walked on the beach with my mom. Late that afternoon, the sun streaming through my living-room window, I even fell asleep reading.
When I woke up, I realized I was content to be right where I was. Doing nothing.
