So many ways to use time, so many alluring possibilities, so many things to try, so many changes to attempt.
There’s a productivity guru — David Allen — who has written a book and created a website titled “Getting Things Done.” He offers strategies for getting more accomplished “with ease and elegance.”
In my experience, getting things accomplished often involves a mental struggle, getting over a speed bump that seems huge before I cross over from thinking about doing a thing to actually getting started doing a thing. In the rear view mirror, the speed bump doesn’t look like much. But there’s nothing easy for me or “elegant” about the mental effort to get from “I’m going to…” to “I’m doing….”
But here’s one thing I really like about David Allen. He bluntly says that you can do anything you want but you can’t do everything. That is such a gift, reminding myself that time is not endless and choosing one thing means letting go of something else.
This year I hope to build a balance between striving for accomplishment and simply enjoying the processes — writing a novel, cleaning my office, cooking dinner — enjoying what I call the messy middle.
Susan Palmer's Exquisite Now 
5 responses to “Anything, not everything”
I wasn’t trying to be anonymous with my above comment. Haven’t figured out how to log in and comment yet. Stephanie
Enjoying the “magic middle” is now my favorite saying …ever! I might have to quote you …in a video. See…that you-inspire-me thing definitely works both ways. Love
I so love that, especially because you made it better. My phrase was more prosaic: messy middle. You just made it lovely. Now I’ll think of it as magic too. And it kind of is. That middling zone in creative process that doesn’t feel all that brilliant in the moment but is really where the magic starts.
The opposite of multi-tasking! I love it.
Once again Susan, you come up with timely inspiration. This subject is much on my mind these days. One of the intentions I have set for myself is to do only one thing at a time. It’s interesting to observe myself, how often I am in two places ( or more) at once. The first thing I have noticed is that it’s making me a better listener. I love your blog!