The long holiday weekend hasn’t been much of a holiday. I have been fighting with my book. Not that it’s not coming together. Just that I wish I could wave a wand and “make it so,” as Captain Picard would say. I have said no to numerous invitations, including a party that I sent my husband to solo last night. I have also let some of my other work slide.
I’m experiencing what Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, in her teleseminar on Daily Action, calls “obsessive focus.” Others keep reminding me that it’s my own deadline–insinuating that I really don’t HAVE to be done by June 1. But if I don’t set the deadline, who will? No publisher is hounding me for the material. I have to hound myself. (Okay, I admit that I took time out yesterday to mess with reformatting this blog. And I do mean “mess.” Hope you like the new look.)
While my husband is always supportive, he has been tempting me every so often with new things we can do. I admit that I finally broke down and set my boundaries firmly and that a few tears accompanied my plea. It went something like this: “I have to do this. I have to get it off my desk so I can move on. I told people my goal. I want to enjoy the summer.” He understood completely acknowledging that it sounded a lot like when he was finishing up his dissertation (mathematical physics–don’t even ask me what the title of it was). Since then, he has disappeared into the den, orchestrated the laundry, and worked on our unruly hill of wild grasses.
What does it take to get a big project done?
Obsessive focus, boundaries, a few tears, and uncompromising support.
On another note, I took time out to breeze through the Downtown Denver Arts Festival today. Had to go because I served as one of the jurors. The show looked nicer than ever and proves that a change in leadership can do wonders. Great job, Jim!
Image © Jim DeLutes, Gold Crescent. Color photograph.
6 thoughts on “Obsessive focus, boundaries, a few tears, and uncompromising support”
Thank you again Alyson. I also have a June 1st deadline, having a show hanging and complete to the last detail to open doors on June 2nd. I am in obsessive focus too. I’ll toast your manuscript on Saturday, along with my show!
Forgot to mention, I like the clean new look, distinguished from the website, but coordinating. I think I’ll go redesign my blog instead of write out my price list. NOT.
Hi Alyson, Good luck (work) finishing! I really like the new look – a lot. I agree – the look is clean. Image is beautiful! ~ Diane Clancy http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog
One thing I just noticed though – I preferred the old icon you see at the top in the browser – it sets you apart and makes it easy to find your blog when I have several blogs open. Think about it – I think it is more distinctive. ~ Diane Clancy http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog
I have two June 1st deadlines. They are rigid deadlines, meaning if I don’t finish in time, I can’t enter the shows. Although these goals are important to me, if I don’t complete them, life will go on and something else will come along, just as good. Don’t be too hard on yourself and your loved ones, but just do the best you can! Art (and writing is an art) takes time, sometimes you can’t dictate – it dictates to you.
odd … now it changed back you your old icon … I don’t know. For several minutes it was the white cloud in blue sky many TypePad blogs have … who knows! ~ Diane Clancy http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog