Like so many writers, I am easily distracted by the internet. I’ll be writing away when I hit some kind of problem, and instead of sitting with the discomfort of the problem I shoot off and check my email, my facebook, my twitter account. Instead of wrestling with the difficult problem, I run off to find easy, mundane problems to solve.
Of course, this doesn’t work when you’re job is to solve those difficult problems.
I worked on an article for a magazine today for about four hours. It’s still not finished but it’s close. The muse is pumping and I’m in the flow.
But it’s 5:55 pm and my rest tonight includes a date with my wife at six pm.
I have two options:
1. Post-pone our date for thirty minutes to finish the article.
2. Reject the muse and stop working.
This isn’t a hard decision. My spouse is more important than my writing (sorry, Hemingway), and besides, she’d yell at me if I didn’t turn off. I saved the article and shut down my computer (or I will after finishing this). Done. Rest on.
However, most of the time we don’t make this decision. We choose to postpone rest (a date with ourselves, our souls) all the time.
Stop being so busy.
Busy is the enemy of Art.
Busy is the avoidance of Pain, and Pain is the only way to grow.
Art comes from Pain.
Busy kills productivity.
You will never be happy when you are Busy. But you will never be sad either.
Busy, like all drugs, can become an escape. It will always end in failure.
Be where your butt is, where your feet are. Be with your fingers and in the lining of your Lungs. Going in. Going out. Your shoulders relaxing into the world.
Well, I’m out and about again. Having just gotten back from Spain and Chicago, Talia and I are off to Nashville for a conference. I like to travel, and I like to meet new people, but it makes resting a challenge.
Is driving or flying or taking the train restful?
