What the hell. Maybe THIS is what it's about-- tho YMMV--

The Chinese I Ching system includes a cycle of days that repeats over and over and over. Each day in the cycle has a particular characteristic that is said to be present. Each day of the cycle is considered auspicious for certain things and inauspicious for certain other things.

My memory of the whole thing is pretty fuzzy, except for the day I most relate to in that cycle-- the Broken Day. A Broken Day is said to be suitable only for housewrecking. Not a day to start anything, and not a day to expect that important things will go well. From relationships to mechanics, what is fooled around with will fall apart.... the best one can do on a Broken Day is stay low and try not to disturb anything that is already at rest or in motion! :~)

I think it's a 7-day cycle, so..... count ahead and downscale your plans for that day?! :~)

Seriously-- I have had many days where, sometime in the afternoon, I realize that although I started the day in really good humor and form, the day has contained several crises too many-- no matter how well I have dealt with them, and usually in good humor too.

But at a certain point in the day I will find myself thinking, "You know-- hmmm! I think actually that despite STILL being in a good mood, and despite handling all this really quite well, I am actually Having a Bad Day and I should pack it in till tomorrow. It's not going to get any better, this day!" (Yielding cheerfully because the objective, really, is not worth the stress needed to to achieve failure!)

Sometimes the genius lies in knowing when to quit for the day and go on breaktime till another day. Even on a workday. I call it taking not a sick day, but a Mental Health Day. I educate bosses that these are essential and soon they agree!

Unfortunately, there are too often the days where I don't recognize that until I have done a fair share of "homewrecking".

One trick to recognizing Broken Days soon enough to bail productively is to really enjoy detaching yourself from the need to care about what is happening, and to enjoy NOT being actually responsible for outcomes. I don't mean that it's good to seek being irresponsible-- just to practice letting go of being SO responsible (or capable, or whatever the "hook" is that gets you so wrapped up in trying to do whatever it is yo are trying hardest to do).

Once you let go of that, it is actually quite entertaining at that moment when you spot the truth that you are riding a landslide down a slippery slope. Not falling down it, but sliding (gracefully or not) on the top of a mess of crap sliding down all by itself.

Once you see that-- it's obvious that you can't stop the landslide and that it's best to have a good ride down! And the next day, you can pick through the debris and sort it out... or create something new out of it.

I think this approach combines a realistic view of the operation of both entropy and creativity-- yin and yang-- and reflects balance. But.... it's only like that on a good day. :~)

I suppose someone following the I Ching cycle closely and with discipline knows when the next day will be a Broken Day and then what-- just set the clock to sleep in? :~)

~Susan