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Jan. 25th, 2024 09:00 amAs you might be able to tell from the lack of posts here, January has not been very productive for me.
Part of that is the merciless nature of the grind. I'm making up for lost time with the day job which leaves me with, unsurprisingly, a lot less time to fuck around. Now that I know what it takes to do a good job with this, I'm committed to doing it.
There are still hitches here and there, but it feels like I'm finally hitting the inflection point of the J-curve. I'm settling into the culture of the place, getting to know folks outside of my team, and getting just comfortable enough to show a bit of my personality. There are a lot of responsibilities to juggle, but I'm getting the hang of it. There's a support element that can eat up time if you let it, so for the past few weeks I've been noting the ones that do, what's caused the issue, and what I've learned so it's a bit easier next time. So far, that's been working pretty well!
Employee performance reviews are coming up, with the company looking to have them done by February. I haven't been around long enough to know much about the colleagues I've been asked to review, so I'm not sure how to handle them. I'm thinking about using the peer reviews as an excuse to set up one-on-ones with folks, just to get in some face time. In fact, that's a very good idea.
Most days I'm done with work just in time to hit the gym, which takes up a good 1.5 - 2 hours of the day. Then it's time for dinner, then bed. I know there's at least enough time for a 30-minute writing session somewhere in there, but I want to time it consistently. I do my best work in the morning, so I could sit down right after meditation and before the walk with Laz. I'm a bit more clear-headed from the meditation, and I could use the quiet walking time to noodle over what I've written and how to continue on from there.
In just ten minutes of writing, I've already decided on two solutions to long-standing problems this week. I should definitely journal more. ;)
Even though life has slowed a bit since the holidays, things are still pretty busy. My weekends for February are already mostly booked somehow, and I don't think we've nailed down the dates for the Children of the Comet or Firstdawn campaigns. Next weekend, our East-Coast friend G. will visit; the weekend after that we'll be at the house party for Super Bowl LVIII; the weekend after THAT, our adopted gay son E. will be coming over for a day of sloppy joes, mac and cheese, and movies. This weekend I'll be running my Unlicensed Adventures campaign on Friday evening; playing a round of frisbee golf with local friends we haven't seen in a while; continuing our watch party for "I'm A Virgo" on Saturday; and hosting a "Downton Abbey" movie watch party on Sunday. It will honestly be relatively chill, just a lot of socializing with chained events all in a row.
R. will be partying late Saturday night, so Sunday morning should be quiet at least. :)
So, what happened this month? I think I just didn't anticipate how packed the days would be -- I mean, on paper, at least. The reality is I just haven't managed my time all that well. I'm also very anxious about all of my projects, and my brain has been sliding off the things I'd like to put my passion into as a result.
It's clear that I have to unpack a lot of shame -- or at least, that there's something that I have to face within myself before I can clear this block. I honestly don't know what that will take, but it's something I'll need to sit with for a while.
Next month, I'll need to recommit to the "Three Treasures" -- meditation, reading, and writing. I want those to be the foundation of whatever life I'd like to build.
Part of that is the merciless nature of the grind. I'm making up for lost time with the day job which leaves me with, unsurprisingly, a lot less time to fuck around. Now that I know what it takes to do a good job with this, I'm committed to doing it.
There are still hitches here and there, but it feels like I'm finally hitting the inflection point of the J-curve. I'm settling into the culture of the place, getting to know folks outside of my team, and getting just comfortable enough to show a bit of my personality. There are a lot of responsibilities to juggle, but I'm getting the hang of it. There's a support element that can eat up time if you let it, so for the past few weeks I've been noting the ones that do, what's caused the issue, and what I've learned so it's a bit easier next time. So far, that's been working pretty well!
Employee performance reviews are coming up, with the company looking to have them done by February. I haven't been around long enough to know much about the colleagues I've been asked to review, so I'm not sure how to handle them. I'm thinking about using the peer reviews as an excuse to set up one-on-ones with folks, just to get in some face time. In fact, that's a very good idea.
Most days I'm done with work just in time to hit the gym, which takes up a good 1.5 - 2 hours of the day. Then it's time for dinner, then bed. I know there's at least enough time for a 30-minute writing session somewhere in there, but I want to time it consistently. I do my best work in the morning, so I could sit down right after meditation and before the walk with Laz. I'm a bit more clear-headed from the meditation, and I could use the quiet walking time to noodle over what I've written and how to continue on from there.
In just ten minutes of writing, I've already decided on two solutions to long-standing problems this week. I should definitely journal more. ;)
Even though life has slowed a bit since the holidays, things are still pretty busy. My weekends for February are already mostly booked somehow, and I don't think we've nailed down the dates for the Children of the Comet or Firstdawn campaigns. Next weekend, our East-Coast friend G. will visit; the weekend after that we'll be at the house party for Super Bowl LVIII; the weekend after THAT, our adopted gay son E. will be coming over for a day of sloppy joes, mac and cheese, and movies. This weekend I'll be running my Unlicensed Adventures campaign on Friday evening; playing a round of frisbee golf with local friends we haven't seen in a while; continuing our watch party for "I'm A Virgo" on Saturday; and hosting a "Downton Abbey" movie watch party on Sunday. It will honestly be relatively chill, just a lot of socializing with chained events all in a row.
R. will be partying late Saturday night, so Sunday morning should be quiet at least. :)
So, what happened this month? I think I just didn't anticipate how packed the days would be -- I mean, on paper, at least. The reality is I just haven't managed my time all that well. I'm also very anxious about all of my projects, and my brain has been sliding off the things I'd like to put my passion into as a result.
It's clear that I have to unpack a lot of shame -- or at least, that there's something that I have to face within myself before I can clear this block. I honestly don't know what that will take, but it's something I'll need to sit with for a while.
Next month, I'll need to recommit to the "Three Treasures" -- meditation, reading, and writing. I want those to be the foundation of whatever life I'd like to build.
