rowyn

#3 of my resolutions is proving one of the hardest to keep, which doesn't surprise me. Those easy-to-measure resolutions -- "Write X words" or "Lose Y pounds" are easy to keep track of, and easy to keep. The "change the way you think" sort are trickier.

Last night, I cleaned the kitchen 'cause I felt like cleaning the kitchen. I just realized, looking back at #3 that, although I thought this resolution was about being creative -- about writing and art and so forth -- it's not. The exact wording is: I will try not to psyche myself out of doing anything remotely productive. So cleaning the kitchen qualifies as keeping the resolution: I did something productive!

Anyway, I didn't spend all night cleaning the kitchen (about an hour, and I didn't mop the floor; I was tired of cleaning by the time everything else was done and didn't feel like it.) Afterwards, I read my friends page (which my mind files in the "not productive" category", but that's okay because I didn't feel like being productive), wrote some notes (that counts as productive), sent an email, and played some Puzzle Pirates (not productive, but again, OK as long as I don't want to do anything productive).

And then I considered writing a Silver Scales entry, but I didn't feel like it. I cast about for anything productive that I wanted to do. "I could sketch!" I thought. "But then I wouldn't be writing a Silver Scales entry."

"Wait," I interrupted myself, "Resolution #3 says you're not supposed to use that as an excuse not to sketch."

"I think I'll go play Puzzle Pirates some more."

"No! Sketch! Sketching is good! Sketching is productive!"

"Mmm. Distilling puzzle." *click* *drag* *click* *drag*

...

So I still need to work on the whole "don't psyche myself out" thing. Getting to bed earlier would also be good. Although I'm surprisingly alert at the moment. And in a good mood. Woo! Doing work! Yay!

In fact, while sitting at work this morning, I found myself thinking with surprise, "I like my job."

I've known for a long time that I like Toddler Bank, and that I like the management at the bank, and that it's one of the better places I work. But it's been a long time since I thought "I enjoy doing this work". But I was thinking it today. Today I balanced accounts and fixed rejects and spent far too much time writing a Crystal report to make a very small part of my job easier. And none of it was tedious, mind-numbing, repetitive labor, nor stress-filled get-this-done-now-now-now-where-is-it?, nor other kinds of work that I tend not to enjoy. It was all sort of ... fun.

Not so much fun that I would've done it free, or wouldn't rather be home, mind you. But enjoyable enough that I wasn't clock-watching or itching to leave.

I have more of this sort of work to do tomorrow, too. Now that I've got the monthly reports under control, I don't have any tasks on my agenda that I dislike any more.

This is pretty cool, if you ask me.

Anyway, when I got home this evening, I decided to do some more cleaning, and started with the first floor of the extension. This area is the main entranceway to the house, with the back part devoted to cat stuff. It was pretty messy. I made a start by clearing off the floor and mopping it. Then I came in to the den to finish this entry (I started it at lunch) while I wait for the floor to dry. I'm going to scrub some of the spots that mopping didn't get, and can put all the stuff back. Then I plan to mop the kitchen floor.

I had some initial concern that, once I sat down, I wouldn't want to get up to clean again. But right now, I still feel like cleaning. It's been about half an hour (I read some emails during the break, too) so the floor should be close enough to dry now. Back to cleaning for me!

(And my apologies for being much too cheerful about working. ;) Gotta make use of those good moods while they last, though!)