Maybe it’s the recent blog anniversaries or the upcoming trip to Italy (10 days!), but I had trouble getting motivated to write today’s post.

(In fact, I’m still having trouble and theoretically, I’m writing it. *rueful smile*)

…

I don’t know about you, but for me, it almost always more fun to imagine the work than to do the work.

Thinking about the work can be pleasant, almost like a daydream. It’s like seeing yourself in a time-elapse sequence in a movie. You work quickly, brilliantly and you never make any mistakes.

For example, if I were a movie blogger, you’d hear peppy, sprightly music and the tapping of my fingers on the keys. I’d be at my desk in a charming sweater set or cute pajamas and inspiration would pour from hands on to the page (… er … screen).

We’d flash to my blog post zipping out the back of my computer, down the “wires” to your inbox. Then we’d pan to people all over the city (heck, all over the world!) reading this post, delighting in it, forwarding it to friends.

We’d finish with me in a kick-y skirt and snappy coat twirling joyfully in the streets a la Mary Tyler Moore …

…

Real work is more like … work.

Real work means laundry and dishes and putting back the dining room furniture after Songtaneous. (We had a lot of fun! Thanks to those who came and sang.)

It means following up on an interviews, writing copy and posting (other people’s) web updates. Packing suitcases (okay, not yet — but I’m thinking about packing my suitcase) and packing lunches.

And it’s all in real time. No flash forwards or edited sequences to speed things along.

And, hardest of all, you have to motivate yourself to do it. Ugh.

…

Christine Kane talks about making the jobs of your life and the things about which you want to be disciplined “just what you do.”

She says by making — in my case — “get up and bike to work” just what you do, you remove the internal debate and dialogue about that decision.

In other words, you don’t have to agonize every morning (you don’t have to, but I sometimes still do *smile*) about whether or not to hop on your bike.

(You just lug it down the stairs before you’re late for work. *smile*)