More Stuff, less Admin

I had drinks with David Sedaris and Molly Jong-Fast last night. Never mind the fact that none of us actually drink alcohol and that the quaint London pub we met in later morphed into an art gallery in an undisclosed northern European capital, it was a great night.

Yes, I'm breaking the cardinal "don't bore the pants off your readers" rule and telling you about a dream I had. But for a reason.

I spent the last few days uploading tax information for my accountant, discussing a draft contract with my lawyer, arranging a blood test and renewing not one but three different flavours of insurance. The Admin of Life which absorbs untold time and energy and which - although it cannot be neglected - can leave us feeling empty and unfulfilled if it displaces the actual Stuff of Life: the things that bring us joy, make us feel fulfilled and nudge (or occasionally shove) us into growing as humans.

Women in particular often fall into the trap of keeping up with the Admin at the expense of the Stuff. Maybe it's fear of overwhelm, or of the consequences if we fall behind and are unmasked as (whisper it) imperfect. Maybe it's an underlying belief that we don't deserve the good stuff until we've suffered. That we can't have the cake until we've done the cardio (definitely something the women of my generation had beaten into them by a merciless 90s media). 

So, I'm taking my dream - in which I got to chat and look at art with two writers/speakers/thinkers I love and admire - as a reminder from the universe to prioritize the Stuff. To sit at my laptop and write not at 3pm when everything else is done (because, even in a household of one, it never actually is) but as soon as I'm up and caffeinated. And to chase my Editor and keep pushing forward with my book (on which, more soon…).

Does this resonate with you? If so, let's fight the tyranny of the Admin together. What Stuff are you bringing to the top of the list today? I'd love to know.