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March 25th, 2007 | Posted in Technical Writing 4 Comments »
I read a post by D. Keith Robinson at least six weeks ago and didn’t think much of it, but since then it has surfaced again and again in my mind. Robinson talks about “broken days” as a way of describing days where distractions, problems, and must-do-now crises completely disrupt productivity. Robinson says,
I call those days “Broken” because that’s what they usually are. Broken by distraction, broken by too many meetings, broken by a lack of energy; these are the days where can’t seem to focus on anything important and it seems like a struggle to find even ten minutes to do anything of value.
On these broken days, Robinson says you should work on small tasks that you never seem to get to.
Robinson’s description of broken days surfaces in my mind when a day seems broken, but also when a day seems perfect. He doesn’t mention the opposite of a broken day. I call such days “Perfect Days” — when everything seems to run smoothly, when things just fall into place. Perhaps a problem that was previously stubborn reveals itself as easy, or your understanding of a software application opens up (you finally “get it”) and you write easily and prolifically about it.
I have those days at work, sure, but really my perfect days often occur when I’m with my wife and kids, and things just start clicking. I remember the first realization of my perfect day. I was sitting at a picnic table at Busch Gardens with all my family around and really feeling good inside. I thought, this must be the opposite of a broken day. Another day I was at the beach during an evening sunset, relaxing while the kids played in the sand, and I thought, life is perfect. For that hour, nothing could have been better.
We have to realize that without broken days, we can’t have perfect days. So enjoy them both, recognizing that each requires the other. The more you recognize these days, which may really only last a few hours, the more content you’ll be when days seem broken.
Gorgeous post, Tom.
I’m going to add “Broken Days” and “Perfect Days” to my vocabulary. I already have the term “Jackpot Days,” which are appropriately rare but also wonderful: a day when a series of wonderful events all come one after the other, like getting a tax refund, a story acceptance, an email from an old friend, and finding a $20 in a jacket pocket all in one day.
Perfect Days fall between Broken and Jackpot Days, and I must say, I think I like Perfect Days the best.
I like the term Jackpot days. Send one of those my way, okay?
Timely post for me. Last week seemed like a broken week. The bright side is that the perfect days, more often than not, out number the broken ones.
Great post. What a great idea.
You know, I think one thing for me to realize is that “broken days” aren’t necessarily my fault, and they happen to everybody. I tend to get frustrated by “broken days” but tend not to notice the “perfect days.”
But I also think that a “perfect day” can be your goal from the outset, helping you avoid the self-imposed distractions that can come along as well.
Thanks, Tom! Good post.