Sky over my house
I just read this post by one of my writing mentors, Charlotte. In it, she discusses all of the procrastinating things she does before writing. But once she’s writing, it’s amazing, she doesn’t want to do anything else.
I have the same experience in writing. But I have it in the rest of my life too. There are things I “want” to do- like go to a Zumba class or a long bike ride, and there are things I “should” do, like mop the floors and organize the house. I feel guilty if I do the “want to’s” but don’t want to do the “should’s,” so often I end up doing something completely different and, often, unnecessary. In these moments of paralyzation between “want to” and “should” I sometimes (often) read Facebook or twitter, watch TV, or take a nap.
Why is that?
These things leave me feeling emptier than cleaning the house. Why can’t I find the motivation to get the should’s done so that I don’t feel guilty about the wants?
Does anyone else experience this? Or is it just me? What do you do for motivation?
Thanks for mentioning me! I think the reason we head to social media in those indecisive times is because its easy. And, there’s usually something of at least vague interest to take our minds off our procrastination, always a plus.
Lately I’m really paying attention to my “shoulds” and trying to figure out which of them I can ditch. For instance, gardening is a should. And, this year anyway, I hate it. I’m not enjoying it in the least. So now I’m letting my husband do it–he likes it–and I’m either doing another should that doesn’t annoy me so much or holing up to write, the theory being this will allow me to make more money and thus hire a gardener. At least, this is the excuse I give in my mind!