Auntie has a confession to make—when she is hit with insomnia, or writer’s block, or is in the throes of a day of playing a high-stakes game of procrastination—she will drag out the vacuum and go to work. There are alternatives to this vacuuming compulsion—if Auntie is surrounded by sweetly slumbering souls, she might quietly dust—or if she’s really feeling energetic—the floors might be mopped.
On some very basic level, doing something physical—be it heading to the gym, going out for a walk, reorganizing your spice rack or ties, seems to calm, and yes, propel and prompt the creative process. Naturally, to assist with these moments in life, Auntie has a hint for you:
Delegate all menial tasks—except for the ones that help you meditate or solve the world’s problems. Auntie is particularly fond of (occasionally) scrubbing a sink, ironing a few pillowcases, and vacuuming up the previous night’s confetti. Do not make a habit of this, or you may find yourself using these tasks to procrastinate away your day/week/life.
Now please don’t start requesting a house cleaning quote or vacuuming visit from Auntie. Her rates are way out of your budget (trust me on this one). The obvious recommendation here is that taking action, accomplishing some small, simple task feels good—and perhaps that by completing a so-called menial job, you might awaken your muse by conquering the burden of overthinking and under sleeping. Auntie is now going to take a nap—all this cleaning is exhausting.
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