Sometimes I look back on the day, and wonder where all my time went.
Not because I was distracted, but because every task seemed to unfold into three more. What starts as a twenty-minute chore somehow becomes an afternoon, and by the end of the day I've technically only crossed one thing off my list.
Lately, that's been happening to me a lot. Whether it's taking care of things around the house or managing everything that comes with running a studio, I've noticed how often the smallest item on my to-do list ends up requiring a dozen little steps I never planned for. You decide to mow the yard, but first the trimmer needs more line. Then you notice a branch that needs to be picked up. The garden could use watering while you're already outside. Suddenly, one afternoon project has become five.
The studio isn't much different. Before I ever pick up a paintbrush, there are emails to answer, canvases to prepare, paintings to photograph, commissions to package, brushes to clean, etc. For a while, I caught myself resisting those tasks because they weren't the part I was looking forward to. I think, I just want to get to the painting.
The funny thing is, I've realized that the resistance is often more exhausting than the task itself.
So lately, I've been trying to change the way I think about these moments. Instead of telling myself I have to mow the yard, I joke that I'm going outside to "touch grass." Instead of focusing on the heat, I remind myself that I'm getting some sunshine. It's a small shift, but it changes the experience. The work still gets done, but it no longer feels like I'm fighting against it the whole time.
I’m trying to lean more into these things, but there is so much more room to grow. I'm still learning not to judge a day by how many boxes I checked off. Sometimes one task is enough because it contains twenty smaller ones. The to-do list will probably never be finished, and maybe that's okay. The less I resist the things that simply need to be done, the lighter they become. And every now and then, I find myself enjoying them more than I ever expected.