There was a time when a Big Thing defined a day for me.
Who am I kidding? There were days when a Big Thing defined a week! A concert (performed or attended), a big exam, travel: all of these and many more were Big Things, which meant they monopolized thought and action for their entire day or longer. I couldn’t possibly make a healthy dinner from scratch tonight – I have a concert! I’ll vacuum tomorrow – I have a test in the morning. And on, and on.
This is, I think, a pretty normal approach, especially when an experience is new or a person is relatively unencumbered. Now, of course, I couldn’t possibly live like that. Oftentimes I’m bouncing from Big Thing to Big Thing – two or three in a day! Projects, commitments, side hustles, creative work…they all are important and demand time and energy today. If I put them off till tomorrow because of some other Big Thing, I could never remotely keep up. (Tomorrow, for example, I have a recording session, a final tech rehearsal for my sound design of Into the Woods, and am attending the premiere of my most recent composition. Three very Big Things!)
I don’t regret compartmentalizing my life back then, but I’m also glad that I’m able to balance multiple big things and stay on track. It makes my creative and busy life much more manageable.