Update- Turns Out Schedules are a Necessary Evil

Quick recap: last Sunday, I attempted to avoid clocks and live moment-to-moment without basing my behavior on the rigid structures of time.  It provided welcome relief from the normal stresses of maintaining a schedule, and, based on what I'd learned from the experiment, I resolved to find a "middle way" between complete clock-avoidance and neurotic adherence to a fixed routine.

This past week was to mark the beginning of my new life, with my natural inclinations playing a greater role in determining my actions.  It was supposed to help me feel more relaxed.  Well, unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way. 

I decided on Monday that, instead of working a certain amount of hours every day, I would set a weekly goal and allow myself to meet it by working whenever I felt like it.  I was finally to take proper advantage of being a freelancer. 

On Monday there weren't too many good jobs available, and instead of pushing myself to work anyway I sat down with a book.  Total flexibility and a lack of schedules was looking great!

On Tuesday I worked just a little, ignoring my nascent apprehension at falling behind.  Wednesday morning, I couldn't resist the urge to read because the book was just so darn enjoyable.  By that evening I realized I had barely worked at all that week, it would be incredibly difficult to meet my goal, and I might have to forget my objective all together.  I felt pathetic, and, yes, far more stressed than I ever had when sticking to my schedule.

So now it's back to the old lifestyle, reliably breaking out the laptop when the clock tells me to do so.  Sometimes, it seems,  self-learning doesn't bring new habits, but a reaffirmed commitment to the trusty conventions of old.