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Sometimes it’s like bees living in your head, know what I mean? Sometimes it comes at you from all sides, and despite your resolve, it doesn’t let up.
What, you ask? The tasks, of course. Being busy has it’s up side, certainly. One is never bored. But the down side is that when a lot of tasks are competing for your attention, it is difficult to accomplish any one of them.
Do you think that playing 9 games of chess at once is a good idea (I’m not a chess player, but I’ve seen “masters” do this). Do you think that adding a bit to a lot of projects each day actually moves them to a fruitful completion?
Perhaps, but is it as satisfying as grabbing a single task, or perhaps just a few, and working them until you’ve got them handled?
I feel drawn… pulled in too many directions, and wonder if the overwhelm that comes from it is a good thing. I have a friend in Florida who would suggest that I meditate. I have another friend in Northern California who would recommend drugs. I don’t have the patience for meditation, and I find the idea of doing drugs to get things done is kind of like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Yes, I know it can be done, but the side-effects are scary.
The wise men say you can eat an elephant if you only eat one bite at a time, but have you ever TASTED elephant meat?
I would guess that the majority of you would recommend cutting back. Would suggest taking a deep breath and moving slower, but does that really work? The jobs that need to be done still need to be done.
Perhaps the trick is to not be such a push-over when it comes to agreeing to do more.
Suggestions?
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There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio... and isn't it time you experienced some of them?
Slow and steady wins the race???????
Or so I’ve heard it said…
Prioritize. I’m another one who usually jumps from one project to another, doing a little bit of each until they’re finished. Lately, though, I’m learning to focus a bit more. I decide on one major writing project and try to stick with that. But ideas do pop up, so I take the time to get them down instead of losing them. If it pushes that project forward some, that’s all to the good, and it doesn’t take me away from the “Right Now” project. It seems to be working. I just finished a novelette, including the tags, description and cover, and it’s ready to publish. Now I’m back at work on my 2010 NaNo novel and will stick to that until it’s finished. But I’m also thinking about a recently started short story and keep adding to it as new ideas come to me. The trick is to add the new material, but not get caught up in it. For a chronically disorganized person, I’m beginning to feel more confident about actually getting a substantial number of pieces finished in good time.
Over the years I’ve learned–quite the hard way–that while an idea that isn’t written down MAY come back, and MIGHT do so in a better form, there is no knowing how many are never heard from again. I keep yellow sticky notes and pads (as well as a pocket-sized digital recorder) with me at all times.
Hmmm. I feel the same frustration and have the same flaw. Focus is probably the biggest of my weaknesses. What I find quite overwhelming is when you write down a line in your to do list but that single line depends on so many things and steps, that it can’t be crossed out until those +30 somethings get done. Oh!
Oh, yes. It’s the old and sad story.
We must do the things we HAVE to do in order to do the things we NEED to do in order to do the things we WANT to do.
It never seems to end.