Max Riffner
The Parlor
My weblog work journal. »Archives »Links
Curling Up
I’ve had anxiety all weekend. Sometimes I get like this – just real antsy, like I got something I have to do, but I don’t. Everything is on track, all my projects are coming along nicely. It was a gray weekend, so I thought that instead of trying to come up with something to do, I should just embrace the fact that I have nothing to do.
Saturday morning, I was rummaging through my long boxes looking for a graphic novel that would catch my eye. I was also thinking of the possibilities of a WordPress blog as comic book organizer – categories could be genre, company, which long box it was in, etc. I quickly got that out of my mind; I was obviously trying to make a new unnecessary project up, just so I would have something to do. Then I stumbled onto my Preacher collection.
It started innocently; I just read the first arc Saturday. Sunday morning though and it was full steam ahead, Captain. I had decided to read all 60 issues. Why? It had been probably 5 years since I’d read them all (whenever the series ended, actually), and it is by far one of my absolute favorite pieces of fiction I’ve ever read. I can’t recommend it enough (for reasons I’ll reserve for a future post).
The point is though, after I finished it Sunday evening, I felt so relaxed. It was like I had accomplished something. Further, I went on to have a very productive evening since I was so refreshed. That’s the point – sometimes it is okay not to work. I have a hard time remembering that, and an even harder time not beating myself up over it (something the Chief works hard on me about).
Sometimes you just need to curl up with a good story and relax.
I don’t know – I often get myself into trouble by taking on too much or by making up unnecessary projects to do instead of the ones that I really need to. It is a kind of sick procrastination, wherein I replace one job with another that I would rather do.
The thing that works for me (at least in the last two years) is to write out a To-Do List everyday on a post-it, and it is everything from “Call lawyer” to “Upload crafts landing page.” Work and personal tasks are interchangable. In my case, I also build in time to relax, usually by not getting so strict in my schedule that I have some time to just do whatever I feel like for awhile.
It seems to me that whenever you force yourself into a prescribed slot (be it work or relaxation) that you don’t do that task at that time very well. Thus the magic of the To-Do list. These are all the tasks I have to get done today sometime.
Someday I’ll learn a balance.
I’d say it has taken me ten years of working to get to this point, and it is still a struggle, so don’t feel bad.
You can also browse through the Parlor archives.
Recent Articles
- April 27, 2010
- This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day
- January 11, 2010
- #CinematicShowdown
- December 4, 2009
- Guest Strip: The Loneliest Astronauts
- November 12, 2009
- Circling Back
- October 30, 2009
- I'm Still Here
Search
Get the Emails
Grab My Site Feed
Stay up to date with my Feed in your favorite newsreader!
See Who's Linking Here
Check out who is linking to me with my Technorati Profile.
Feb 21, 10:17 PM
You see! How I wish we could trade our traits among the people we know. Pick and choose, as it were, to make a good mix in ourselves.
My problem is that I’m the exact opposite. I have a really hard time forcing myself to work. When I have a day off all I want to do is relax. That leads to guilt in the other direction, and makes it hard to get things done at home.
Someday I’ll learn a balance.