Tools Of Betrayal

I'll readily admit, I have a bit of an addiction to tools. I've always been fascinated by the systems and objects we create to make our lives easier, but sometimes... and it pains me to say it, tools are a distraction. Tonight was one such night where I should have written more, but my mind went on a tangent and before I realized it, I was searching for yet another tool. In defense of my actions (against the accusation from myself) I had a very good reason to look for this tool, and I don't regret it. It wasn't really the best time to dive down a rabbit hole, but I'm taking this opportunity to reflect instead of beating myself up, as I'm wont to do. Interestingly, I've concluded that searching for and trying out new tools and resources gives me energy. There's a limit, of course: when the amount of time I spend fussing with the tools exceeds the amount of writing time, I start to lose focus. But I need the energy that comes from that process. Do I really need another software? A new keyboard? A different set up? Most of the time, the answer is obviously no, but I need to let myself fiddle and muss in order to balance my writing efforts. The mind is not a machine that's meant to do one task endlessly with no breaks in between: rest and recharge are absolutely vital to any substantial effort. There might be a few shot glasses of freshly brewed cope in this excerpt, but I can take a lesson instead of another beating. There's a time and a place for wandering and tinkering, and I need to make time for that just as much as I need to sleep, eat and be physically active. Burnout happens when we place pure productivity over the joy of the effort.