Groan! I was trying to do a simple backup of my website, but for some reason the program at my hosting service no longer works correctly. Technical support gave me some things to try, but they didn’t work, so I’m having to spend some time thinking about the problem and figuring something out. It’s not exactly what I wanted to do with my time, so I’m pacing myself and breaking the job into more or less manageable chunks. I’ve used the above quote before, and it helps a lot now. It’s all right if I don’t understand what I’m doing, just give it time and some attention. Eventually it will get sorted out.
Another thing that helps is the image of Niels Bohr at his pigeon-hole desk. He would focus on a physics problem until he got stuck, then he would put it into one of the compartments and do something else for a while. Big problems can’t be solved all at once, so it’s best to be patient and not get frustrated.
Anyway, I have made some progress, and there’s no hurry, thank goodness. Yay, for retirement!
August 23, 2015
Yay for retirement indeed! I would not spend time. I would hire professionals if my resident geniuses cannot solve the problems.
How innocent you are. 🙂 As if hiring professionals free you of spending time on a problem.
yet another blessing of retirement!
the luxury of taking one’s time in anything.
whether getting well.
fixing things that are broken.
or simply enjoying life as it comes!
good luck monk! xo
and thanks again for the SPEEDY! help with my own technical issue.
Amen to that!
I love that Neils Bohr idea. (And opposites are complementary!)
It’s a great image to help with putting something aside for a while and letting the subconscious mind mull it over.
My husband and I married young, so when I was into my second and third year studying physics, we were already married. He still loves to tell the tales of me talking in my sleep about physics problems, and, once, getting mad at him because he wouldn’t help me work them deep in the heart of one night. (He studied law.) Yet, I would often wake up with the solution to a problem that had been stumping me for days. Bohr had a good idea, putting those problems aside. I loved physics, but I knew I never wanted to work in that field, work that in those days required collaborative efforts with teams. I eventually switched. My degree is in English, with a concentration in creative writing. In this field, it’s easy to take advantage of the precept offered in the quote you posted. There’s always more writing or editing to be done the next day. I also work alone. After reading Cain’s QUIET a few years ago, when I was already in my 60’s, I’ve finally come to realize that I knew myself even better than I thought I did when I switched.
It sounds as if creative writing was a good choice for you. I’m surprised that you say physics was a collaborative effort. At my university the emphasis was on problem sets, and after the first year there were always one or two problems that needed creative insight, and those needed to be done alone. And, yes, waking up in the middle of the night with ideas was part of the process for me. It was hard on the nerves, but I could always solve those problems, mostly at the last minute. I was fascinated by the process, but didn’t like physics itself that much. So I went into scientific computer programming, and when I had a choice would pick problems that no one knew how to solve so I would have to be creative. It was great practice being comfortable with not knowing and having faith.
i haven’t any choice right now, about putting things aside…I have done 3 bouts of making buds today – just rolling them around the wires and pinning them.
no stitching that will have to wait for another day or three…
between bouts I did other things, making food, going to letterbox, knitting a couple of rows, taking some pictures of yesterdays’ paint jobs, cutting up some strips.
none took a lot of time, but it changed the stagnant hand repetitive movements….
I’m glad you’re getting a chance to take breaks from the repetitive movements. It pays in the long run. As usual, yay, Cathy!