"Yes" day

A friend told me last night about an idea one of her grad school colleagues picked up from a book on time management for artists -- I'll credit it (and read it) as soon as I can figure out what it is. It's something I already do -- some of the time -- and something I want to make a point to do more. The idea is that there are "yes" days and "no" days, and it's best to decide early on which sort of day you're going to have. Otherwise, you're in a "maybe" day, which doesn't do anyone any good. 

Yesterday for me was a "no" day, and a good one. I taught all morning, got a lot of other work done, including some reading for my program, just not any work on my novel. By the afternoon, I was exhausted, and any work I had done would have reflected that, so I took a long nap. Then I had a nice night with friends, and I don't regret a second of it. It makes it easier for today to be a "yes" day. I've committed to it. It's going to be sweet. 

I just finished The Red Shoe by Ursula Dubosarsky. It's set during a political scandal in Australia during the Cold War, but the scandal's only a backdrop to the personal experiences of three young sisters. And it's amazing.