I feel like I am not really in fiction writing mode lately.

I can’t seem to prioritize it.

I can get a few sentences of a story down but I have no energy available to explore it.

I guess the upside here is that I know this aimlessness about my writing will pass.

I just have to choose whether to wait it out or to dig in deeper.

For now, I’ll wait – I just have too many competing priorities at the moment.

Soon, though, it will be time to dig in.

I’m thinking of making myself a set of daily check-in cards so I can ensure that some of my hard-earned lessons stay top of mind.

For example, I’d like to remember that I can focus on working on things instead of on getting them done.

My mind loves the idea of being done with something, of being able to drop it from my mental radar.

It loves the idea so much that if I can’t actually finish a task in the time I have to work on it today, it wants me to put the task aside until I can finish it in one go.

The problem, of course, is that most projects don’t work like that.

Part of the solution is to break my projects down more clearly in the first place but that’s not always possible AND doing part of a project doesn’t free me from the unconscious decision that I have to get the whole thing done.

So, I have had to keep learning the lesson that working on stuff means it gets done.

I wonder if having check-in cards that say something like ‘Have you tried working on it?’ would make the turn around time between lessons shorter?

After a couple of weeks that were peppered with appointments and large commitments, I’m trying to give myself lots of time to work and think this week.

I’m sure that seems at odds with my title of ‘Seeking Ease’ but, as I’ve explained before, being able to design my own schedule and follow it in a way that makes sense to me is very relaxing.

That holds true, even if I have a lot of work to do.

This week is not overwhelmingly busy, but I have some important tasks that I want to address.

Being able to decide when and how I will complete those tasks is much easier on my brain than fitting them in around appointments and meetings.

And, if things go well this week, I will complete two long-term projects and be able to get them out of my head.

That has its own appeal.

So, I am indeed seeking ease this week even if I’m not taking it easy.

A few years ago, I started doing my own Mother’s Day activities on a different day.

That might mean that I spend my Saturday reading and relaxing and having good snacks and then spend Mother’s Day itself celebrating my Mom and my MIL.

Or it might mean celebrating them on Mother’s Day and then having my celebrations the next weekend.

Ever since I decided on this plan, Mother’s Day has been a lot easier.

Previously, especially when my kids were small, I would be trying to cram all my fun and relaxation into the nooks and crannies of the day.

I’d end up feeling hurried and frustrated and not at all relaxed.

That is not a celebratory mood.

So, this system makes for a better day all around.