SAPS: Saturday Analysis Paralysis Syndrome.

I just made that up; it's not a real thing. Unless maybe you're an Enneagram Nine Wing One. Then you know exactly what I'm talking about. Here's an inside look at a 9w1, and maybe a helpful solution for SAPS.

I am forever rethinking Saturdays.

Should it be a “do all the things” home workday? Or a “follow your heart, rest and play, chase a project” kind of day? I vote for the latter, but of course I’m never voting for Paperwork Day, or Disrupt Your Inner Peace Day. And because I voted for Inner Peace all the other days of this week, by now there is quite a load of unfinished business calling me on this Saturday.

“Decide once,” the Lazy Genius tells us. She’s a One, and so she’s good at this decision thing. And she’s pretty much always right.

I want to “decide once” about my Saturday pattern, too, but I’m a different person every Saturday, it seems. And deciding about anything, once or not, is a process that distracts, mushrooms, and leaves me exhausted and uncertain.

1. I’m not an Enneagram One. I don’t start with a rhythm and pattern. But I do want to accomplish things and do what’s right.

2. I’m not a Two. Connecting with everyone and making them happy is not my goal. But I do consider all the people around me, circling the wagons before I commit to my own needs.

3. I’m not a Three. I don’t have high energy and goals, and I don’t have to look good. But I do care a little about what others think--as if they think anything at all about what I’m doing.

4. I’m not a Four. I’m not feeling the weight of deep emotion or needing to be exceptional, and I’m not certain I’m inadequate. But I do enjoy the beauty around me and feel fairly deeply, so I should add some beauty and love into my day.

5. I’m not a Five. I have way less clarity and certainty, and thankfully I have a tiny bit more energy. But I do need some space to recharge today.

6. I’m not a Six. I’m not prepared, organized, definitely not efficient, and thankfully I’m not obsessively worried. But I do want to make my future life simpler by spending my Saturday well.

7. I’m not a Seven. I don’t have to always be on the go, connecting, or avoiding hard things. But I do find energy in social connection, and fun really does light up my boring life.

8. I’m certainly not an Eight. I don’t have a clear goal and driving energy, and I’m no good at being utterly selfish. But I do want to step up, show up, speak up.

What I am is a Nine.

• I reach for easy and comfortable, and I’m drawn to fleeting comforts that soothe but keep me from order and progress.

• I think of everything—every single undone thing, every possibility—and then I’m paralyzed by indecision.

• I make very long lists, but everything looks equally important. And equally worth avoiding.

• I want to make a difference today, put a dent in my home needs, start and finish something. But I also want to pour another cup, sit in that dented place on the sofa, find beauty, and delay all the decisions.

• I run out of energy by 2:00 p.m., but I do need to some quiet reflection time this morning as well.

• I avoid the things on my list and accomplish other things, guiltily.

• I will be tempted to merge with the needs of my Four daughter when she wanders downstairs at 10:00 a.m. and wraps me in one of her delicious hugs.

• I will think about my Saturday plan for two hours before I actually begin doing Saturday.

But! I have a secret weapon waiting, quite literally, in the wings.

The One-wing, to be precise.

I spread it all before me, all the delicious options that seem to beckon me equally, and then I call forth my One-wing. I can do this. I can reach for something that’s noble, and not just easy. I can gather my strength and determination. I can call forward my analytical superpowers, silence my feelings for a moment, and define a clear path. I can even let guilt motivate me to move forward.

But unlike a One, I can also pause to savor beauty, stop accomplishing and love all the people, take time to sit and recharge in the afternoon, and forgive myself when I fall short.

Instead of a To Do list, I will make a Can Do list. And I’ll keep a sneaky little Ta-Da list on the side—a record of what I actually accomplished today.

And that’s the list I’ll judge myself by when Saturday is done.

But first, where did I put my coffee cup?

. . . . . . . . . .

All that is the true me at my core! (Insert eye-rolling here.)

But I also actually DID "decide once", once upon a time. One Saturday morning I took the time to create a template to help me sort and synthesize all the options, a pathway forward out of Saturday Analysis Paralysis Syndrome.

If you're in need of some Saturday props to keep you moving forward, here's a downloadable Saturday Sort template. (Print double-sided and fold.)

Saturday Sort.template

.pdf

Download PDF • 742KB