I have 16 stickies open on my computer. The bright, sunshiny colour has taken over my screen creating a chaos to what was meant to be order. At the bottom of my once-chic Macbook Pro are five open Word Documents, two Excel Spreadsheets (for invoicing), 10 emails, one PDF file and as if this isn’t a columnists conundrum enough for me, I have a notebook on my coffee table that is almost full, with endless lists of stories to pitch, partnerships to solidify, brainstorms for my upcoming book and daily musings. I am a writer. I write everything down, for every thought is fleeting and I need these lists and reminders to get shit done. My iCal should be enough. Fuck, my hot-little all-new Kate Spade 2014/2015 daily agenda should be enough – it fits in my Louis and is just perfection. And yet, I have info everywhere I look. Info reminding me of to do’s yet done. I sit here in a midst of these post-its and signs and scribbles and feel anything but organized. As if my life isn’t about what’s on the lists but instead about composing lists on their own.
And so, in this moment as I realize what needs to be done, I sit here wondering why it’s taking me so long. Because lets face it: You’ll never get shit done if you’re always one step (or 16+5+2+10+1) ahead.
Order. We need it to survive. Planning is all well and good but goals don’t get accomplished if we just look at what we’re seeking in the end. Goals are made of steps and in order to take said steps we need to take them one by one. And so, today is the day that I delete my post-its, close my open documents and replace my notebook and start fresh. Today is the day I work one project at a time and not trying to take on the world in but a day.
Sometimes it takes a realization like this to get the ball to actually start rolling. To start afresh. To throw out plans and ideas and concepts and centre when you feel anything but that. We want, we need, we aim for and we are disappointed when those wants/needs/aims get lost in the madness that is wanting, needing and aiming for too much.
Instead of making a note or setting a reminder, challenge yourself to do. To not ‘tomorrow’ whatever the project is, big or small. How fulfilling and at ease our lives would be if we’d just be and forego the planning and planning and planning and, yes, planning of what needs to be done and get done after each project that we have yet to do.
Success comes from structure. Surround yourself in it and soak up the sweet sensation of your blood, sweat and tears day in and day out. Delete, and instead do.
– Jenny Jen
BLONDE BRONZED TWENTYSOMETHING 