or: Why Do I Want to Do Dishes After Paying My Bills?
Whenever I watch a movie where someone’s life is spiraling out of control due to drug addiction, whether it’s Goodfellas or Midnight Cowboy, I am always frustrated. The character is usually using drugs as a way to escape the depressing reality of his daily life, but I always think, “Why doesn’t he just stop using drugs? Doesn’t he realize that his addiction is the cause of all his problems??” And the answer, of course, is that it’s easier to seek a temporary escape from your problems, instead of confronting them head-on. And the more you avoid them, the worse they get, which just compounds the avoidance instinct.
So what does this have to do with me? Quite a lot, actually.
The other day, after a long stint of paying bills and generally getting my financial house in order, I decided to spend some time in the kitchen working on dishes. But why did I do this? Why didn’t a reward my hard work by doing something relaxing, like watching TV or playing video games? And when I thought about it, the answer was quite simple: because I felt like I was making progress in my life, and I wanted to keep that momentum. I realized that when my house is a mess, it seems overwhelming, and I am more likely to avoid the problem by doing something else. But when the house is clean, and things are in order, it is easier to keep on top of things, notice what is out of place, and fix what needs fixing. Productivity begets productivity. And just like that drug addict, when my life is falling apart, I have a strong disincentive to actually doing the work to fix it.
This is all a roundabout way of saying that I am trying to get my life in order, primarily thanks to Chris and his recommendation of the book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen. I’m discovering that the more I get things organized, the better I feel, and the more I feel like I can accomplish in a given day. Since this is so interesting to me right now, I’ll probably be posting some tips and personal notes here and there (hence the new “Productivity” category). It’s going to be a long road ahead to get on top of my life, but I am very optimistic.
