Closing Loops

[abracanabra]

This Relax Without Feeling Lazy: Kill Open Loops post makes an excellent point, and it brings to the forefront a lot of why I generally feel stressed. I put a lot on myself: writing; photography; maintaining a clean house (ha!) and providing basic services like laundry, clean dishes, and hot dinners; and eventually, a return to martial arts or another high-demand physical activity (I miss inhabiting my body in that way). I also have a ridiculously long list of miscellaneous to-dos.

At the same time, these are thing that will never be completed. There is always more writing; it's not like I finish a piece and then wait, fallow, for the next story idea to come to me--part of my writing process produces a huge backlog of ideas. There are always photos to load up to the stock photography site or a portfolio or a gallery display to create. My house will never be 100% clean.

So--today. I declare that my writing loop will be closed if I redmark and make editing changes to "Missing You In Pieces" and write 100 (+ whatever if I hit flow, which is unlikely in 100) words on "Tree of Life." My cleaning loop will be closed if I quick-clean the bathroom, do laundry, run the Roomba, do dishes, and clean the nightstand. My photography loop will close if I upload a photo to iStock and research camera flashes and reflectors etc. My to-do list will close if I finish paying bills and update my books-to-borrow list from library receipts and Science Fiction Book Club mailings.

Hrm. This may take some work. That looks like more than is reasonable to do in one day--but at least I know where the end point is.

Comments

[lyght.livejournal.com]

Wow. Closing loops is an excellent conceptualization of this nebulous feeling I've had the last few years.

[cloudscudding.livejournal.com]

Have you read "Getting Things Done: The Stress Free Art of Productivity"? It addresses a lot of the same sort of thing and is a good way to rewire your brain to be able to function better. Though I keep having to consciously go back to it because it's easy to stray, even though that causes more stress long-term.

[lyght.livejournal.com]

Never even heard of it, but I'll have to look into it. Thanks!

[kitryan.livejournal.com]

Probably one of the reasons I can't/find it very difficult to job search before quitting the last job.

[ninicat.livejournal.com]

End points are Good.

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of closing loops, too. I fear the only closure for some writing projects will be publication.

For things like housekeeping, I give myself a star (colorful foil stickers) for each task I complete, and if the plants don't die, the cats and I don't starve, there are enough clean dishes to eat from, and I get enough stars to cover the basics, I call that week a success. :)

[cloudscudding.livejournal.com]

Hey, no fair making the closure point something you don't control!

Stars! Heh, stars is a neat idea.