Mindless work frees my brain to create.

I often wish my “day job” (AKA my paying work) were something mindless that I could learn to do quickly and then just implement with little thought. Some of my favorite days at an early job that I had were when I got to collate papers and put them into folders, or stuff a ton of envelopes. You can just set yourself up in an efficient manner, and then sit down and implement (or stand/walk around and implement).

The best part of this was that my mind was free to wander, to think of whatever I liked, to pretend to be somewhere else, or to create whatever I liked in my head. I happily did this for hours. These days, I would have been allowed to listen to an audiobook or music or whatever, but back then, I doubt they’d have appreciated me using a Walkman in the office. So my mind was free to do what it liked on its own, and I was never bored.

I think this aspect of that job, where I would just collate papers and/or stuff envelopes, would be a dream job. Especially if I were paid by the item or group of items. That way, I could stop whenever I liked, whenever I had an idea I wanted to write down or even implement, and then get back to work afterward.

These days, most of my paying work is mentally very taxing. The pay is either very good or at least decent, depending on the work, and I am very good at it, but it requires so much focus and close attention that it takes me a lot of the working day to just get in a couple hours of paid time, since I have to take frequent mental breaks. In those breaks I can eat, do laundry, talk to my family, and do other things, but it makes full-time work pretty impossible for me. And then there is little left of my brain after a day that I do this work, so it’s hard to sustain a writing or creative practice.

So, I have a half-hearted dream for someone to pay me to stuff envelopes and collate papers (at home, with no phone duties). But that is unlikely to happen. Especially at a decent wage.

As usual, if you want to support my efforts at this blog, please consider buying your Amazon purchases through this affiliate link where I receive some financial benefit. Or go right to the source and send me money through PayPal. No pressure, though.