I judge myself for wasting time, big time. And it’s a huge barrier to creativity.
Whether your trap is social media, TV, or just staring off into space trying to psych yourself up to do something (<— that’s mine), you end up paying for it twice: once the first time around when you’re wasting time, and then again the second time around when you feel the weight of all the time you’ve wasted.
(I’ve found this pressure has quadrupled since becoming a parent. Time is even more precious than ever, so every “wasted” moment weighs more than ever, too).
But it’s a sunk cost. The time is already spent. So why hold myself hostage to it?
I haven’t figured it out yet. I still carry a large mental burden for the times I’ve not been productive, even though I know it’s been a stressful and tumultuous few months.
But I have a hunch that pointing out the mental burden of not being productive and treating myself kindly about it is the first step in moving past it. Accepting — not fighting or punishing myself for — the time that’s passed, and approaching this moment or the next block of time with a sense of lightness and curiosity about what I’m working on.