Although I have many more topics in mind, I am cutting back to posting twice a month (rather than weekly) for a while to allow more time for other responsibilities and reduce some current stress.
At the end of a morning shower last week, I realized that I had not been there for a single moment to enjoy it—I had been pounding the keyboard in my head, writing an email reply for a work issue that was brewing. I wish I’d been there for that shower. Most of the day I was tired and cranky and looking out at the world through puffy eyes.
I’ve been feeling particularly stressed lately and wondering why. The job pressure hasn’t changed, although I think many of us just keep raising the high bar on how chaotic normal can be. I think it’s just self-imposed: 1) I procrastinate on actions that I am not enthusiastic about (like HOA board responsibilities) and the procrastination creates stress and 2) I want to find time for more and more activities I am enthusiastic about, but I seem to have reached my limit.
Since early July, I’ve been going to yoga classes 3 times a week. This is a good thing but it has definitely impacted time for other good things. I pushed yoga into the mix (6 hours/week) and somethings (including writing for the blog) got pushed out the other side.
I’ve deliberately reduced my social media/internet adventures but, beyond that, there’s not much else I can do to free up time right now. Cutting back on sleep is no longer an option—I can’t get out of bed without 8 hours.
Then I had the realization recently that if I meet my goal to move home in Spring 2017, I may need to put the condo up for sale next summer. Suddenly the weight of all the little DIY projects I’ve been procrastinating on fell on me. I am self-motivated and disciplined about a lot of things but home renovations is not one of them.
This past week, after two years of procrastination, I finally re-stained my deck.
It helps when I stop to remind myself: life is a game—sometimes I win and sometimes I just forget I’m playing. Then I can laugh at how serious I am, how wound up I am, how not present I am. This past month has shown me that there is a lot of room for improvement—not in doing more but in being kinder to myself. I guess that’s DIY too.
References and related links:
- HOA: homeowners association
- DIY: do it yourself
- Previous post: fast-forward
Neil says
I think procrastination is in the Fisher genes, but you seem to be handling it well. I did in my teaching career although it did mean some late-night reading or all-day marking sessions. I know fun should follow work, but often it seems I can’t resist doing the fun things first. It’s great when fun things, like my morning cartoon, give me a reason to draw first thing.