Tuesday, January 18, 2011

There Is No Try, Only Do

You know those days when you seem to be running your ass off all day, but at the end, you feel like you've gotten nothing accomplished, and are perhaps even further behind than you were before? I know that I, at least, have them quite frequently.

Well, don't hate me, but: yesterday for me was the opposite of that day. I wrote over 600 words. I finished one last little touch-up edit on an essay that I'm going to send off today. I got the last of my grocery shopping done, riding my bike for the 30-min round trip so I even got some exercise in. And I still had time left over to set up a Goodreads library, make a delicious soup, read a bit for fun, and take a hot bath. And even with all that, I felt relaxed, with effort to spare.

Now, a day of effortless productivity is something I am NOT taking for granted -- in fact, the fact that I'm blogging about it should let you know that I recognize how extraordinary this is. But it reminds me of something my yoga instructor said in a class this week. I can't quote it exactly, but as we were doing some sort of difficult-for-me pose, she noted that "this pose can be difficult to hold because you're trying so hard."

Hm.

6 comments:

Rachel said...

Ooh, I love those days! Glad you got to have one and really cherished it :)

Comrade PhysioProf said...

You experienced what is known in sports psychology as "flow": you're not thinking about doing; you're just doing, and it feels effortless.

Notorious Ph.D. said...

I've heard of this "flow" thing, and even experienced it from time to time -- that beautiful feeling that you're exactly where you're supposed to be, and whatever you're doing is just flowing through you. It's a gift, no doubt about it.

Digger said...

Very yay!

Historiann said...

Great news!

WorstProfEver said...

Thumbs way up! And yay for the wisdom to appreciate them for the cosmic gift they are!