Something I figured out a while ago is the categories I put things into in my head when I’m thinking about everything that could/should/would happen in that day. Being a Capricorn I’m a list maker and so either the night before or in the morning of I’m making to-do list of everything to accomplish that day. It’s how I categorize the list that finally dawned on me one day.
There are ‘have to’ items which either get done because otherwise bad things will happen – like getting the garbage can out to the curb so it can get picked up (otherwise the garage stink will grow increasingly stinky for an additional week and I will have paid for pick up anyway, which is a waste of money) or that get done because otherwise things I have worked on/for will miss deadlines or not come to fruition – like getting a proposal in to my publisher by the due date.
Then there are ‘need to’ things on the list like getting the groceries done so I can eat without having to be creative or going out. Like cleaning the upstairs so I don’t feel like a slob or it doesn’t distract me from being able to focus on writing. Minimal distractions really help because, as most writers know, we are amazingly creative at finding ways in which to not be creative by writing. Writing is just dang hard.
But then there is the category of ‘get to’. I get to work on art projects or do dance workouts or craft or hang out with my friends and their kids. These are ‘get to’ things that also go on the list. I know that many people don’t put ‘get to’ things on their list on purpose because only ‘need to’ and ‘have to’ things go on a to do list, but I’m a Capricorn and so everything that is going to happen that day goes on the list. Compulsive or positive reinforcement, you decide….
So, realizing that I had these categories, I was then able to start valuing things differently and prioritizing them in my daily activities differently than I had before. A day with all need to’s and have to’s would drain my energy and leave me exhausted and listless. It could even demotivate me before I ever got out of bed. While days with get to’s might seem jam-packed and tiring, but instead it would leave me energized for days to come. So I’ve started putting more get to’s into my day each and every day. Sometimes as the priority item of the day. And while I’m still trying to not see those days as ‘slacking’ or ‘non-productive’ days, I do manage to enjoy them thoroughly. And it makes life a whole lot nicer to live if there is a bit of joy in it each day and not as some grand reward for time served at the end. At least I think so. We’ll find out…