I've been on a cleaning kick lately. My apartment tends to get dusty very easily and I'm determined to do as much as I can to make everything cleaner and neater. I've been deep cleaning the bathroom currently. Yesterday I scrubbed all the rust and dust off of a light fixture that I'm not sure if I've ever really cleaned. I want to tear apart my closet and find different storage bins to put all of my junk in so it won't get covered in dust. Basically, it's been quite the deranged mission for me lately.
What does any of this have to do with writing? WELL...nothing, really. But I couldn't think of a single thing to blog about and it was on my mind so I thought...I will ramble about this until something makes sense.
I suppose the simplest correlation is that if I'm happy with my living space (which would also be my writing space if any writing were to actually happen), maybe it'll make writing easier. Maybe I'll be more inclined to focus on my writing if there wasn't a layer of dust piling up around me, or something that desperately needed scrubbing. I'll usually find some excuse not to write, and something like cleaning or dishes is usually the culprit.
I'm also thinking about how my mental/creative energy functions. I know cleaning isn't all that creative, but I feel like the way I'm approaching it takes some creative thought. I'm thinking about different ways I want to organize and change things around my apartment.
But maybe the main takeaway is that I think I have a hard time juggling multiple projects at once. On top of a full time job and just general life taking up time, if I have something like this that I really want to get done, I'm probably not going to force myself to try writing unless the inspiration really strikes (can it?? Please??? No, really, I'll stop cleaning).
I do tend to get overwhelmed when I have too many things lined up. Even with my cleaning, I was all over the place until I decided to just focus on the bathroom for now before moving on to some other part of the apartment. I guess this explains why it's hard for me to work on more than one writing project at once. I need all of my focus to be on one thing so I can get it done properly and not get distracted.
Anyway, I've rambled enough. I have no idea what point I was trying to make, but hey, I wrote something! Maybe I need to deep clean my brain...
I am not a multi-tasker either, so if I have a big project, it can be hard to write. Perhaps you can give yourself 15 minutes away from the cleaning to just write whatever comes to your mind. A little like your blog post...it will be writing and may end up inspiring you to do more.
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with a good cleaning. Unclutter your house, unclutter your mind.
ReplyDeleteI ALWAYS need to clear my surfaces and areas around my desk before writing. I'm a definite clutter in my surroundings creates clutter in my brain. I hope the cleaning session yields some productive writing for you now. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteSometimes, when I'm focused on cleaning, or another task that's more physical than mental, it leaves my brain free to work through story problems. I'll be in the middle of cleaning the shower or whatever, and have a sudden Eureka! moment that has me scrambling to find paper and pen.
ReplyDeleteMay your deep cleaning experience lead to amazing writing epiphanies!
I would love the time to focus just on cleaning!
ReplyDeleteI've gone on cleaning sprees. Sometimes it's nice to accomplish something you can see with your eyes and other people could appreciate as well. Maybe it's procrastination for writing, but it's productive!
ReplyDeleteHappy IWSG day, Sarah! Dr. Sanjay Gupta said recently on CNN that spring cleaning is good for your mental health and that clutter can trigger a stress response. Focusing on one area is the way to go. So clean on! I don't do well mentally if things are a mess around me. Once you get it done, it's much easier to stay on top of it. May your writing inspiration return.
ReplyDeleteI find that working in a clean space is productive. Not so many distractions and it seems there's more room to think.
ReplyDeleteI once told my father that I didn't know why, when I couldn't think of what to write, I felt motivated to clean. My father, an R&D chemist, said that when he was stumped by a difficult experiment, he would wash his beakers and tidy his workspace. Mundane jobs, he swore, allowed the brain the room to think.
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