The Really Maddening Mind-Blowing Moment When Writing Becomes a Chore
Too many things end up like chores. When that happens, you find ways to not write because now writing is a chore.
It's either early in the morning or late in the evening.
Either way, I find myself distracted.
I have too many things I want to do and not enough time to do them. Everything I want to do varies from personal goals, chores, things to buy, work to get done, people to stay in touch with, language to learn, and schedule to keep.
Often, I fall behind on everything, save for those things I need to get done. Things I need to get done are breakfast, lunch, dinner, showering, taking out the trash, and paying the bills.
When I'm not doing only what I have to do to not default on my bills or starve, I'm sitting on my couch watching TV and bingeing anything and everything I can find. There are way too many options these days.
While watching the entire series of a show, I'm sitting, not engaged. I am playing with whatever digital device I have in my hand. I am trying to find something to help me figure out the one authentic way to motivate me—the accurate way to get organized and get my shit together.
Every time I'm half distracted by what I'm watching, and half overwhelmed with all the options.
There was a time when the only option to get organized was Getting Things Done. Nowadays, everyone is a productivity guru, from Youtubers to Second Brain Advocates to the Zettelkelstan evangelists.
On top of that, there are dozens and dozens of software options to choose from. Sometimes, I wish we were back in simpler times when there were fewer options and one was forced to hack together a system that worked.
Do I spend too much time being productive?
Or I'm finally behind the curve when I felt like I was ahead of the curve for so long?
The curve has finally outpaced me. And here I am, wondering where I should turn to. What road to take? There is always another road to take.
I don't see a fork in my road but several detours when staring ahead. Each one claims the best and easiest way to get where I need to be. There are the more difficult ones I can take. But a thorny path is sometimes not always the best path. It's about finding the best route for your needs, personality, and mantra. Or, in the wisdom of Vin Diesel in any Fast & Furious film, your "code."
I say this all with a grain of salt. And a dash of pepper. And a pinch of paprika. (Flavor matters.)
Too many things end up like chores. And when that happens, where there is no longer any fun in doing the act of writing, you find ways not to do it because your passion is now a chore. A chore to avoid. A task to de-prioritize—an assignment where failure is the only option.
If joy is lost, is writing no longer worth it?
I have no answers other than sharing my perspective based on what I have experienced thus far. The pleasure of writing is both indescribable and, at the same time, a complex web of anxiety.
I would not have it any other way.