A simple framework can contain your creative goo.
It is a new week full of promise. Your head is full of bees. The bees are all the things you need to do. Projects, zoom calls, appointments – everything. They are all buzzing for your attention and all the most important. Except for the ones you have forgotten completely. You are anxious to get it all done. You decide to draw a duck.
But first, coffee. it will take 10 minutes.
Coffee took 45 minutes.
What is the name of that song that was on in the coffee shop? Better look it up and then get lost in an infinite scroll.
Twenty minutes.
Now you have to pee.
On the walk back from the coffee shop you have a great new idea. So good. Better do some dopamine-rich, low-resistance research on this exciting new idea that will solve everything.
Think about how wonderful your life will be when the new idea is finished and in the world. Do not think of all the bees you already in your head. No matter what.
Now write something clever on the internet and spend the next hour checking who liked it.
Open your email. Write a long email to a friend explaining the new idea.
Oh no! An important email about a missed bee deadline!
Do the thing in a panic.
Now back to the exciting new idea that will change everything.
But first, lunch.
Lunch made you sleepy! Maybe you’ll get more work done in the comfy chair.
The exciting new idea has turned into a regular bee.
There is an hour left in the day and your focus is extra fuzzy. You decide to clean the studio. You move piles from one place to another and vacuum the floor.
You made it to the end of the day. All the bees are back and you can’t believe how little you got done considering all the work you did.
You will try and catch up on work in the evening.
When you get home, a rude person rudely asks what you would like to do for dinner. Do they not know your head is full of bees? Why would they add another one?
Snap at them.
You never caught up and now it is the weekend. You can’t stop thinking of the bees even though you are looking at some baby ducks. You can’t enjoy the baby ducks, all you see is bees.
Monday will be different. Monday you will be focused and efficient.
It is a new week and your head is full of bees.
But first, coffee. it will take 10 minutes.
Did you like that story? It’s me!
It used to be me anyway, before I added structure to my day. Which sounds gross. Structure seemed like a straitjacket, why would I give my autonomy over to a rigid schedule?
Also, I’m dumb.
A charming, unhelpful thing about me is my black and thinking. I wasn’t able to imagine a structure that supported the way I wanted to work. I thought it meant sticking to a preordained plan. That sounds dumber than me.
Check out the Time Blobbing system I invented. The pdf link is in the welcome email you should have received when you subscribed. I don’t even use the whole thing all day long. It turns the day into usable blocks instead of an infinite expanse to be squandered. It makes time tangible. I just made that up while I was writing this. Cool!
Anyway, if you get a chance to check it out, let me know if it makes sense.
See you next week. I’ll explain Jackpot Basement.
Bob Shea is a famous author of your favorite children’s books. He has been self-employed for 25 years and aware of his ADHD for the past four. He no longer thinks he is grossly incompetent, now he thinks he’s the regular kind. Bob enjoys speaking in the third person. He’s the one typing this right now.
This is absolutely adorable! I totally get like this when I see the day as one big long expanse of time. I love the idea of time blobs, it makes time blocking sound more creative and flexible! The bear is so cute, I love him! Thanks for this!
I know I was supposed to be doing something - what was it?- I suddenly was very busy laughing at and sharing this post. And a rude person is always asking me what I want to do for dinner.