[365.4, originally uploaded by kpwerker]
It’s kinda nice to know I’m not alone in my occasional submission to inertia. In an effort to further the conversation about it, and to experiment with some strategies, I’ll update this post as the day progresses.
Today is all about combating the vacuum. It’s a hot hot Sunday, and I’ll have a lot to catch up on this week, so I want to start off tomorrow in tip-top shape.
Step 1: Get something (anything) done. I started the day by tackling a much-put-off domestic chore: I repotted a few plants. I made a total mess on our back deck. And I’m very happy to have gotten that done. Minor feeling of accomplishment = a good start to combat the vacuum.
Step 2: Change of scenery. Next, I loaded up my bike (see photo [the fourth of my 365 self portraits]). In the basket are the winter IC submissions I need to pay much attention to. On my back is a bag containing my computer, a notebook, a peanut butter sandwich, a sweatshirt, and my iPod. I’m writing this post at my in-laws’ house while they’re out for the day. It’s totally quiet save for my music, and the solitude is good for my soul.
I’m going to eat that sandwich now, and will let you know what I’m able to accomplish, and how. Fingers crossed!
Update 1 – Step 3: Alleviate Guilt. One of the relatively small tasks I’ve had at the top of my to-do list for far too long is to submit my expenses. I’m a disaster when it comes to this. These are the most significant deadlines I fail to meet, and I brow-beat myself every time. This past week, I had quite a list of expenses that were overdue, and I let the guilt over not having already submitted them stress me out. Guilt is never productive. Although my expenses are only the tip of the guilt iceberg, having just submitted them has resulted in immediate relief of some of the pressure. Now I’m going to take a short nap (hey, it’s Sunday. And it’s hot), and then I’ll start on the next major source of counterproductive guilt: Email.
Update 2 – I totally just rode back from Starbucks with a grande iced soy chai strapped into my egg crate with the bungee cord.
I'm an astigmatic expat writer, editor, speaker, author of 
Very interesting discussion – and what a relief to know I’m not the only one.
I think your first step (get anything done, whatever it is) is the one which works best for me.
What I’ve learned quite recently is also to let go when really I can’t guilt myself into getting “real” work done. I can sit half a day staring at the computer doing nothing, or I can spend half a day doing all the other things that are churning at the back of my mind (related to house, garden, kids or whatever). Taking some time off generally gets me really motivated to get working again.
I also think the solitude is a problem per se. We need stimulation from other people, and getting that when working from home is a big challenge.
@Annette: I try to let go, too. It’s part of why it felt so good to pot those plants yesterday! I see today as the second part of the efforts I started yesterday. We’ll see how it goes!
Totally stuck at the moment with a project I need to do online for our truffle company. Can’t. Get. Moving. And we leave in a couple of days for a vacation so it won’t get done before then. This is a great post. Will return to it when I get back from NM for inspiration. I’m really happy to find links back to posts from flickr. Thank you!
[...] 4: Tackle email. After that iced soy chai on Sunday, I started going through my email, having finally decided to read the oft-bookmarked Inbox Zero [...]
I like the yellow bike! I’ve started commuting by bike 3x a week (8 miles each way) and I’ve found that the happy-making repetitive movement we talk about in crochet also happens when you pedal a bike. :)