Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Are you a slave to your daily routine?

photo of a photo I took on Ellis Island of an immigrant mill worker in Fall River, MA

I recently posted on my Facebook personal page that I was conflicted and annoyed. It was in reference to something rather mundane and not worth sharing, however, I've realized that is my general sentiment at the current moment.

Having just returned from spring break vacation, I've found it hard to get back into work. I have orders to fill and while I love making my art, sometimes my art makes me. I'm feeling the urge to create something new, start something from scratch, do some spring cleaning, get a pedicure, read a book, etc.  Pretty much anything that will take my mind off the things I have to do.

Conflicted.

I love what I do. My art, my family, my life. I'm just tired of routine. As if my 'up in the air' life isn't enough excitement already.

Now I'm annoyed.

I just had a nice breakfast/coffee with a group of my friends to celebrate a birthday for one of them. We don't get to see each other very often and it's only because our individual busy lives keep us from doing so. We did, however, manage to pull this coffee together in less than 24 hours. We should be doing this more often. Spur of the moment. Breaking the routine.

Since I'm a daily blogger (literally, I blog every day on the day and not ahead of time too often) and running late in posting today, I was thinking of doing a quick "list post" of great finds. Serendipitously, I came home to find that Tara at the Scoutie Girl blog had written an interesting post on Problogger about moving beyond "list" posts and into something more experimental and engaging with readers (btw, if you blog, you should read it).  So, I just started writing what's on my mind today and hope that I can engage some of you with these questions:

Do you find relief in occasionally breaking your routine?

Do you do something solely for yourself everyday...once a week...ever?

Do you ever stop what you are supposed to be doing to do something you simply want to?

[editor's note:  In the middle of writing this, my husband asked if I wanted to take a walk.  Without a blink of an eye, I stopped and went on a walk.  And it was good.]

8 comments:

  1. Yes

    Sometimes

    Definitely!

    But I have to remind myself that it's ok to do what I want to do instead of what I need to do. Otherwise I feel guilty and beat myself up over it.

    You'll get out of this funk. But in the meantime, take those walks and change up the routine a little.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am a daily blogger too, and their are days that I need to get away. I used to be really bad about breaking routine, but lately I have made a point to go to the library, the book store, coffee with friends, just to have time away. It's nice to have a break and it clears your mind so you can feel more creative.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amy, my answers are just as yours. I also feel guilty but am trying hard to kick that habit. Why do we (mostly women) feel guilty for doing something for ourselves (which, inevitably, is better for those around us)? It's a habit I'd love to break!

    Additions, I agree. The dog walking thing has been helpful to me in this regard.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes!
    Yes!
    And Yes!

    However, you know all of these take a Hurculean effort on my part!

    Call me to play Linny!!! I love a spur!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Is it wrong that blogging and working on my Etsy shop is my "something solely for yourself"?

    I could totally use a break from the newborn routine right now. : ) Got a concert to go to on Sunday. Hopefully that'll do it.

    Great post! Totally got me thinking!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your post (and generally your friendly blogging style).
    Well, I've learnt to be relaxed these last 2 years; before I lived on lists, I still make lists sometimes, but here in Gibraltar everybody is extremely relaxed, always there is time for a coffee, a chat, a smile.
    You should meet your friends at least once in a mounth, life is going fast, can't be only work and schedules.
    (Sorry, if my English is not perfect, I'm not an English speaker).
    Dana

    ReplyDelete
  7. A resounding Yes! to all your questions. However small the action, it keeps me from losing me (if that makes sense.)

    If you're questioning/conflicted/annoyed by your routine when returning from vacation, it's definitely time to shake things up! If you feel you need to blog everyday, is there a way for you to combine it with something else you love doing? Maybe a weekly photos-only post of one of your dog walks?

    I wish we could all just dump the guilt we feel about living our lives, and just do it the best we can.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is a great post, Linda! It really resonates with me, as I can easily be labeled as a workaholic.

    I love what I do, and most of the time, it doesn't feel like work.

    But, when it does feel like work, it's time for me to take a break. I just wish I could better define "break."

    A walk with the dog? Dinner with a friend? Project Runway? I'm still figuring that out.

    ReplyDelete

I love reading your comments! Got a question, email me. If you like my blog, please subscribe to my RSS feed.

Related Posts with Thumbnails