I’m not talking about dancing. Personally, I have no rhythm. I love to watch a beautiful routine though, and often sit in awe of the dancers. But today I’m talking about choreographing life. I often think through the steps I’m going to take before I take them, and try to piece them together in a way that has a beautiful, logical flow. Do you ever do this? Or am I just weird? Wait, don’t answer that…
I like to plot out the order of my tasks in such a way that it makes sense for the physicality required. I don’t see this as laziness, but conservation of energy. Simply put, I like to approach my tasks in a way that makes sense, going with the rhythm rather than forcing unnecessary resistance. Why make it harder when you can make it a graceful dance instead.
Sometimes this looks like an impromptu choreography session while I’m in the midst of it—looking at my to do list and figuring out what items make sense to do next, what can be done back to back, or if I’m in a certain location, which items can I check off the list right then. Or while I’m tidying the house I’m thinking, “okay, I have to put this thing away over there,” and then when I get to that spot, there’s something there that needs to be moved to another place. It’s a freestyle dance, and I feel like this approach is an efficient and somewhat fun way of tackling things on my to do list. It adds a sense of spontaneity, and removes the rigidness of responsibility.
Other times I sit down and think through my entire work week and weekend, and figure out what makes the most sense in terms of errands or tasks. What do I have to do now, or later, to hit a deadline down the road. What pieces have to fit together to make all this work? How can I do it with the most ease?
Or it looks like me standing in the shower thinking through how I’m going to move through the rest of my morning at home, or if I have to stop somewhere after work, can I check off another errand at the same time and what order makes the most sense? On the weekends, maybe I’m planning an errand in coordination with going to my moms, and when do I need to leave and what do I need to do for her once I’m there. Again, in a way that makes sense. With the least resistance. It’s logistics really. But choreography sounds fancier.
Life is hard enough, chores and errands are usually boring. But I find that doing this mental dance ahead of time, or in the moment, makes it more interesting and, dare I say, even exciting.
Or is it just me?
Photo from Israyosoy S. on Pexels