Out of a rut, into a groove

I've been in a bit of a rut lately. I either have motivation but few ideas, as is the case with blogging, or lots of ideas but little motivation, as is the case with sewing. Then this morning I felt like I was in a general rut, just feeling kind of "blah", realizing that there was a lot to do but not really knowing where to start, feeling disinterested in my tasks, that kind of thing. (I am keenly aware from that last sentence that this post will not win any composition awards!) Fortunately, I have felt that way before. I know what to do when I wake up in a funk. It usually takes me a little while to convince myself that I am in said funk, but once I admit it, I know where to go from there. I just have to do something, something productive and with tangible results, something that is so routine that I could do it in my sleep - or, more importantly, so routine that I could do it in my bad mood. Making the bed, unloading the dishwasher, taking out the trash, etc. Each completed task, no matter how small, provides the motivation to move on to the next task. It also usually provides a segue to the next task. What I mean is that I don't usually have to stop and decide what to do next; one task leads into another. Unloading the dishwasher leads directly to loading the dishwasher. Loading the dishwasher leads to wiping off the counters. Wiping off the counters leads to sweeping the floor. That's just the way the wrinkles in my brain have formed.

So that's what I did this morning. I forced myself to do something, to get moving. I started with gathering loose laundry around the house, and went from there. It worked! I got a lot done, and the work helped to clarify the rest of the tasks that I need to do today. And now I'm blogging about it, hoping that doing so will help to pull me from the blogging rut. Naptime is coming up (for Elise, not me), and I'll be using that time to pull myself out of the sewing rut. Wish me luck.