Tag: tasks

Balance, order, rhythm and harmony are much more difficult to achieve than intensity.

There is a subtle difference between tapping into the rhythms of life, biologically and spiritually, and setting an external schedule that one must adhere to. The life of the writer must involve both. For example, if I wait for my internal sense of timing to tell me to do the laundry it will never get done. My inner rhythm NEVER tells me that!  Conversely, if I only follow an externally-imposed to-do list, I will soon feel depleted and poetry in my life will never happen.

I don’t make daily to-do lists anymore. I keep a running  list of tasks that need to get completed and I try to tackle one or two of those each day. I do a number of “jobs” on a daily  basis that don’t require a written reminder. I know I will grocery shop every day. I know I will retrieve my son from school and make myself available to hear about his day. I know I will eat every day and cook most days. I will get some form of exercise. I do household chores every day.

The rest of my day must tap into that inner flow of being. This is where writing happens. It may feel lazy at first, but the writer must ask herself, do I want to accomplish perfectly-made beds today or a piece of original writing? Household order is essential to me, but it must serve as a means to the end, not as an end in itself.

Write on!