I’m restless today. I know I need to sit still and just work, and yet I keep remembering one more thing which absolutely must be done before I can really knuckle under. A little while ago it got so desperate I found myself contemplating actually dusting the furniture in the bedroom – with a damp cloth, no less – when thankfully I remembered how I urgently needed to search the TED Talks website for inspirational lessons on how to be more focused on my work.

This was what I found. If I had more time, I might be able to pinpoint exactly what I find so inspiring about Allende’s vision of a good world. I can’t pull teeth. But what I can do is get back in my chair and try to write at least one sentence that feels like a contribution today.