Lessons From Poi Balls

My family watched a dance routine at the Polynesian Cultural Center years ago. The dancers were swinging balls on strings (called poi balls). Sometimes the balls were swinging around the dancers. Other times the dancers were slipping between the balls.

After the performance they let some of the kids (myself included) swing some poi balls. They even taught me how to make my own with twine and Walmart bags! I knew then, I was destined to be a poi ball master and collect them all. (Oops. Wrong goal.)

It amazes me how the balls are in constant motion. With practice, the dancers learn to flow with the balls, constantly changing their direction.

This is a trick I now use when writing. When I feel I’m losing momentum, I redirect. Sometimes I’ll find something that excites me, or that I’m passionate about, and shift my direction to that.  Once I’ve rebuilt my momentum, I switch back to the boring stuff.

The problem with this approach is that it’s easy to get distracted, leave a project and never come back. At that point, nothing gets finished.

So, as a rule, I never start a new project until I finish one. I’ll make notes about projects I want to do later, but I won’t start them until I finish something.

Instead, I build momentum by jumping to something else within my current WIP or doing chores.

If the project is like a poi ball, this rule is the string. Releasing the string and picking up another ball isn’t the same as changing the direction of the one I’m already working with.

As a good guideline, I also make sure that any detours are brief. (I know about how long it takes to do the dishes or walk around the block.)

What tricks do you use to keep your projects moving?

On a personal note:

After weeks of chaos, I’m getting into a routine again. I made some progress on my book this week. It wasn’t much, but I’m proud of myself anyway.

Also, my kid has started dragging around a collection of soft things for spontaneous cuddle sessions. (The dragon is his favorite.)