Those Greek heroes became legendary for battling a variety of monsters, but sometimes it was a case of brain over brawn. One such example is Ulysses (also known as Odysseus).
Ulysses wanted to hear the beautiful voices of the sirens, dangerous creatures who used their enchanting voices to lure sailors onto the rocks surrounding their island.
Ulysses had his men’s ears blocked with wax, so they couldn’t steer the ship off it’s path, and for safe measure had himself tied to the mast. It worked, Ulysses and his crew steered past the dangerous damsels and was able to resist their allure.
Ulysses was smart enough to know that he couldn’t rely on will-power alone to resist temptation, and it that’s a good idea for a Greek hero, then maybe it’s a good idea for us too.
Here’s what we’re going to cover:
An Ulysses pact is a decision that you make now that binds you to do something in the future. In our heroes case, he took the precautionary measures of having himself tied up, and his men’s ears blocked with wax. No need for such drastic measures ourselves, however we will have a look at:
Resisting using the phone
Distractions when out and about
Surfing the net
The phone
Switching off the phone sounds like a no-brainer. And is certainly a good idea idea. However, it’s even better if you put the phone out of sight so that you’re tempted to switch it on again. So many of our reactions/habits regarding our phones have become automatic that we can easily find ourselves picking it up, switching it on, and using it automatically.
Out and about
Maybe you find it difficult to find time to draw at home and instead try to get some done on your commute or in a coffee shop.
There can be even more distractions when you are out and about as the novelty factor is lot higher than at home.
So how you can avoid distractions when there are so many all around you?
One thing you can try is to have your drawing materials at hand so that you can reach for them easily. Next, set the intention that as soon as you sit on the train or at the table in the cafe, you will immediately draw for ten minutes.
Choose a short period of time, rather than set some heroic goal of drawing for an hour or completing a masterpiece. After ten minutes you may well find that you continue drawing anyway.
Resisting surfing
Maybe you’ve made a firm vow not to surf the web for the day/hour/next ten minutes, only to end up doing so, and then beat yourself up for having failed to stick to your intention.
Instead of this familiar pattern, try setting a specific time when you are allowed to visit whatever sites you like. The caveat is that you can only surf during the allocated time, say at 4pm for twenty minutes. It’s easier to resist surfing earlier in the day if you know that you have it to look forward to later on.
But I’ve got to keep my phone by me in case anything important happens!
If it’s a genuine case that there is something actually important that you need your phone for, then perhaps it’s not a good idea to be drawing in the first place, as it’s going to be really difficult to focus. If, onthe other hand, it’s nothing life-threatening, but you’re not going to miss out on anything vital if you put your phone away for a while.
Sue and her sketches
Sue had a busy work life and an even busier homelife. She wasn’t kidding when she said she never had much time for drawing. What he did have was her morning commute. She took the train every morning for about thirty minutes, and decided to use part of the journey for her drawing time. She kept a sketchbook and pencil in her bag, in fact she put it in there the night before so that she didn’t forget it in her morning rush.
Dave and his doodles
Dave was a self-confessed social media addict. He also loved drawing cartoons, that is when he got around to it.
To trick himself into drawing more, he made a deal with himself that after he’d completed one cartoon, he could check his phone for ten minutes.
What we covered:
Resisting using the phone
Distractions when out and about
Surfing the net
Sandwich:
Let’s return to our Greek hero one more time.
This is a passage from ‘The Art of War’ by Steven Pressfield. I great book on how resistance stops us from doing what we want to do.
Odysseus almost got home years before his actual homecoming. Ithaca was in sight, close enough that the sailors could see the smoke of their families fires on shore. Odysseus was so certain he was safe, he actually lay down for a snooze. It was then that his men, believing there was gold in an ox-hide sack among their commander’s possessions, snatched this prize and cut it open. The bag contained the adverse Winds, which King Aeolus had bottled up for Odysseus when the wanderer had touched earlier at his blessed isle. The winds burst forth now in one mad blow, driving Odysseus’ ships back across every league of ocean they had with such difficult traversed, making him endure further trials and sufferings before, at last and alone, he reached home for good.
The danger is when he finish line is in sight. At this point, the Resistance knows we’re about to beat it. It hits the panic button. It marshals one last assault and slams us with everything it’s got.
The professional must be alert for this counterattack, Be wary at the end.
Don’t open that bag of wind!
What’s next:
I put out a daily cartoon newsletter with a whole menagerie of characters along with some occasional cartooning tips. Add your name and mail to the orange box below and I’ll wing a copy your way.
PS. I highly recommend picking up a copy of ‘The War of Art’ by Steven Pressfield.