A Butterfly Day is one of those days where we flit with no apparent focus. Perhaps you pop onto your computer and get sidetracked by an interesting internet site. You spot an amusing cartoon and share with your Facebook world. You may start writing your to do list and feel attracted to doing something not on there, before you’ve even finished. The phone rings and you have an unscheduled conversation. An idea pops into your mind and you follow it. You type the title and first line into a brand new document – and then head off to a meeting – with the board, the ironing or the girls. You suddenly remember to follow up on a conversation from 3 days ago.
Do you know those days?
We can judge these days and call ourselves names. We can beat ourselves up and believe all kinds of unpleasant and untrue things about ourselves. If we like!
Or we can welcome and accept these days, and thank goodness for our flighty side. Because I think these days have a real purpose for us. For example, when you’re flitting, you’re moving (that’s a good thing, isn’t it?). When our mind wanders, it can feel more rested, or it might get really creative (think about when you get your very best ideas – is it while rampaging through a to do list, or while flitting?). When you’re flitting, you’ve got variety (keeps us motivated). When you’re flitting, dare I say you might even do some fun things that don’t ever make it onto your to do list when you’re being focused but are more memorable in the long term than those that do? And while I’m here, let me also suggest that on a Butterfly Day we somehow have the time to allow in helpful distractions – like a random phonecall, like a dip into some new information, a corridor chat that leads perhaps somewhere unexpected.
I think we need to schedule Butterfly Days in our agendas. I suspect, if we had them often enough, we’d get a lot more done!!
I happen to enjoy those days, once I realise that’s what I’m having. There’s always a moment of panic, a sense that there is something I’m not managing to do . . and then I ease into it gracefully. There is always another day to focus – today I’m going to flit a little!
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