Interval "Training" for Creative Work

Why the heck do I keep forgetting this?

Futebol is Life! © Katharine Rawdon , 2022 oil pastel

Ok, I know why: because this truth goes against the work culture I grew up in.

That culture says: keep on working. More work is better. Nonstop work is best.

This is the Protestant work ethic, the Calvinist work ethic, or the Puritan work ethic, take your pick. Apparently, awareness of its influence does not preclude one’s being sideswiped, over and over again.

I am reminded of this every time I take some time off. By time off, I could mean an hour daydreaming on the sofa, an afternoon at the seashore staring at the waves rolling in, or even a week of R & R with no “productivity” goals.

Of course, on the face of it, these moments are enjoyable, yet an insistent voice in my head reminds me that I should be working.

(What a nag that voice is! Spoil sport; party pooper!)

I can shut it down, but it requires effort—sometimes large, sometimes small—every time.

And with that effort comes not exactly remorse, but anticipatory anxiety: perhaps I will “pay for” the R&R with an uneven and effortful return to work. A bumpy ride that I “deserve” because I “goofed off”. (No, this is not a great way to live…)

Yet, every time the opposite occurs.

I return gingerly to playing flute, artwork, or composing…and five minutes in, I am flying with ease, full of ideas, energy, and having a blast.

Not in spite of the “stop”, but because of it.

This is the truth I have to keep etching into my psyche.

Like a jogger who walks in between spurts of running, R&R allows some space in to the work. A moment to stop pushing. A time perhaps for the subconscious to cogitate upon the work at hand, and send me up a solution.

Our subconscious runs on its own clock and will not be hurried, bossed around, or forced. If we want it to contribute, we’ll have to treat it with respect. We may not understand it much, but if we pay attention, we can discover the conditions under which it tends to flourish.

Maybe its just me; maybe everyone else is delighted to take time off and needs rather to push themselves to get down to work.

Where do you fit into this “game”? Are you a “workaholic”, a “slacker”, something in-between, or all of the above, depending? Is interval training something you apply only to your workouts, or to your creativity as well?

Let me know in the comments!