A Net for Catching Days
“A schedule defends against chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days.”
Despite the anxiety it causes, I am a last-minute person, fueled by deadlines. It has taken me years to realize that this is a schedule that works for me. I’ve tried to change. I’ve bought umpteen planners, looking for just the right one that would motivate me to complete my work sooner, but to no avail. The tasks just get moved forward to the next day, until once again, I am working on a project just hours before it is due, my stomach tied in knots, worried that I won’t make the deadline. Yet I always do. But, if it is a task that has no deadline, well, then it may never get done!
I am envious of the women in my life who have established solid work schedules – and abide by them! My youngest daughter introduced me to work back schedules when I began blogging and planning my workshops. They work for her; they don’t work for me. I envy my colleague and friend, Tracy, who is not only a great planner but actually executes her plans! She has introduced me to web-based applications like Trello and Asana that help you organize, track and manage work but I am not very tech-savvy and spend more time figuring out how to use the applications than actually doing my work!
In the past year, a lack of routine has seeped into every aspect of my life. Yes, this pandemic is partly to blame but I am also working less, not yet retired, just taking on less. You would think this would give me lots of time to do things, especially to do the things I love – but I find that, well, the less I do, the less I do! The days blur together and I lack the motivation to do much of anything.
I ponder both words, routine and schedule, as I think about my state of mind, wondering which I find most elusive. They seem to be different sides of the same coin. Routine is defined as a sequence of actions regularly followed, habitual practices. Maria Popova writes that for her, “routine aims to make the chaos of everyday life more containable and controllable”. Schedule, on the other hand, is more about an actual plan for carrying out procedures. There is a subtle interplay between the two words. I feel like I no longer have a routine, and reading Popova’s words, I realize that this is giving me as much anxiety as working to tight deadlines! I no longer sit down every morning to write. I don’t carve out time for research and reflection. Even my yoga practice has flown away with the wind!
I added this quote by Annie Dillard to my quote file late last year when I began feeling concerned that this feeling of restless emptiness would pervade my remaining days. So you can see that this lack of a regular routine has been on my mind for a while!
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time. A schedule is a mock-up of reason and order—willed, faked, and so brought into being; it is a peace and a haven set into the wreck of time; it is a lifeboat on which you find yourself, decades later, still living.” – Annie Dillard
The need for routine also spills into the lives of writers, and I have been paying close attention to their words, hoping their routines may at least help me with my writing habits. Gretchen Rubin writes about the need for a regular schedule, sharing that working sporadically makes it hard to keep your focus. It’s easy to become blocked, confused, or distracted, or to forget what you were aiming to accomplish. “You’re much more likely to spot surprising relationships and to see fresh connections among ideas, if your mind is constantly humming with issues related to your work. When I’m deep in a project, everything I experience seems to relate to it in a way that’s absolutely exhilarating. The entire world becomes more interesting. That’s critical, because I have a voracious need for material, and as I become hyperaware of potential fodder, ideas pour in”, she continues. Seth Rogin shares that the strategy for this lack of focus is simple - have a practice, which means regularly and reliably do the work in a habitual way.
I know many of you feel much like I do these days. Friends and blog readers have shared that they are also struggling with this same listlessness, an inability to stick to a routine. We all know a routine is important but it feels counterproductive to the uncertainty of these times. I’ve decided that, over the next few months, I am going to try and instill a few regular practices into my days, with the hope that I will begin to establish a routine. Do you want to join me and give them a try?
Create anchors in your day
Julie Morgenstern, author of the book Never Check Emails in the Morning, my organizational bible from my workaholic days, suggests creating a few anchors in your days and weeks that are non-negotiable. For example, no matter what happens, you always start the day with 15 minutes of exercise or, at the end of the day, you always go for a long walk with your dog. And, add in weekly anchors, a Thursday evening phone call with a friend to debrief and catch up, or lazy Sunday mornings in bed with a cup of coffee and a good book.
Morgenstern says these anchors will help create structure, establishing a clear distinction between morning, afternoon, and evening each day of the week. Choosing some strategic anchors can provide the motivation needed to get me out of bed, provide an opportunity to clear my head, and give me some accountability to making progress towards long-term goals.
Never underestimate the power of small steps
A participant in one of my writing workshops shared that when the pandemic started she picked up a book of poetry and began reading one poem every day. She has now completed the whole book, which felt like a daunting task when she first began. Gretchen Rubin wrote, “We tend to overestimate what we can do in a short period, and underestimate what we can do over a long period, provided we work slowly and consistently.” What a perfect time, when days stretch out ahead of us, to create anchors that seem inconsequential at the time but will lead to significant accomplishments.
Think thrive rather than survive
This one is a bit more pandemic focused. Life does feel overwhelming, making it difficult to establish a routine. Some days, all I want is for the sky to darken so I can crawl into bed and escape into sleep. Many of us are in survival mode. But then I think about Mary Oliver’s famous line, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? I only have so much time left on this earth and if I don’t intentionally shape my days, they will all pass by in a blur. And so I’ve started thinking, what feeds my passion? What makes me feel alive? What one thing can I do today that will make the hours pass in a blur because I am consumed by what I am doing?