Thrill of the crunch
Time to chomp away at that plan / Issue 1,454
Oh, hi friends!
Welcome, hello, how are you?
I ate potato salad at every meal for four days. Watched clouds change shape and fog descend. Said hiii to six, maybe eight, dogs. Asked "what day year century is it?" Refreshed the news four times, then seven times, then zero.
Here we are.
If I tried to psychoanalyze where most of our brains are right now, I'd write about "easing in" to the week. Or "staying calm."
But I do things in a weird way, because weird is fun for me.
(And my biggest tip to all newsletter writers is that you should have fun when you write your newsletter!!!)
So. Instead I am thinking about: The thrill of the crunch.
Crunch, here, means when you have a little bit less time than you'd like to do something.
You gotta crunch to make it work.
(Maybe you're not like me and find this panic-inducing rather than thrilling, and you complete your tasks before their due date — I love you, I salute you, oh we are so different.)
I'm writing this newsletter at 6:30pm, after having all weekend to write it.
Crunch.
I need to revise a song before a meeting at noon.
Crunch.
Your library book is due.
Crunch.
Your performance date is set.
Crunch.
The race is booked, the bill is now, the application is here, the class is tomorrow, the year is speeding.
Crunchy crunch crunch cronch crunch.
We get moving!
It’s crunchy!
It’s thrilling!
And I can appreciate deliberate action, slow productivity and long build-ups, careful editing and leisurely stretches, but I also have to be honest and admit that a lot of my biggest action follows some crunch.
We need the container. Then we need the pressure to squeeze everything into the container.
Procrastination is a different beast. I'm focusing on the activation energy that happens when you have something to do and you know you are going to do it and you have to start it now.
So when we’re summer scheduling and doggy-paddling the days, I'm wondering…
What is your next crunch?
More specifically…
What is your next big crunch that you're scared to commit to but know you'll be thrilled if you accomplish it by the end of the year even though right now it's scary and even though you're avoidant and even though it'll help you grow and you don't wanna do it but then Kara got weird and reminded you of the THRILL of the CRUNCH and now you want to commit to it a tiny bit more and maybe you will actually you know you will so you might as well commit to it here because if not now, When?
As someone who absolutely needs an external deadline, I love this! I’m working on a novel, and I really want to finish it by the end of the year. I’m about a third of the way through.
Sing a solo in church. Btw, loving the positivity in this group. And Kara, your newsletters are a delight. You brighten my day with your fun graphics and poignant insight.