Coronavirus SIP, Day 26
Apr. 7th, 2020 08:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jakebe
I nearly hit the rainbow last night! Just missed studying. Since this is as good a spot as any, I'll go into details about the daily habits I'd like to form.
Meditation. This is the one I've had the most success with, though I still struggle with being consistent about it. Since I'm sheltering in place and have a lot more time, the goal is to meditate for at least 30 minutes every day. I usually do this in the morning, about 15 minutes after I get up. The biggest trouble with that time is that I'm still a little groggy, so it's harder to focus and sometimes I end up nodding off a time or two. Sometimes, after a particularly heavy day at work (or if I really want a productive evening) I'll meditate after work as well.
Writing. This is the big one right now. I'd love to devote at least 30 minutes to writing for a short story or serial project -- this month, most of my focus will be on writing "Crushing The Competition", my Patreon story for the Jackalope Serial Company. My plan is to run the serial over 50 episodes of 2,000 - 2,500 words each, released weekly. I'm already pretty far behind: this is week 15 of 2020, and I've only released seven episodes. I'd like to write up towards a buffer, but also release three episodes every two weeks until I'm caught up to where I should be. This would give me a lot of new content to release on a delay to FurAffinity and SoFurry, which will hopefully draw new eyes to the Patreon. With things being uncertain as they are, building a new way to make a little extra money is undoubtedly a good thing.
But it's not just for money, of course. I've wanted to be a writer ever since I was a child. I tried typing a sequel to "The Wind in the Willows" when I was like, ten or twelve. And I know that I've had to work through depression and anxiety and ADHD, but it's frustrating that I'm nearly 40 years old and I *still* haven't developed a serious practice. That stops now. I know that there are a lot of barriers to managing a consistent practice right now, but there are always going to be. A writer writes. I need to figure this shit out and make it happen.
Reading. To paraphrase Stephen King -- a writer who doesn't have time to read doesn't have the time -- or the tools -- to write properly. I've fallen out of reading as heavily as I used to and I'd like to get some of that back. There are SO MANY good things out there; furry fiction is really coming along with a host of wonderful writers; the #OwnVoices movement is producing an explosive variety of sci-fi and fantasy from perspectives we've never seen before; Afro-Futurism is a burgeoning genre in itself, and it's been wonderful to see anthologies speak to not only that but urban and historical fantasy from a Black perspective; and Solarpunk offers us a genre we can look to for examples of a positive, more ecologically sustainable future. All of these are serious potential influences, and these are the spaces I want to break into. Writing, to me, is a conversation, between the individual and the society he's in. How can I be a part of that conversation without listening to what others are saying? I should be spending at least 30 minutes a day reading.
Study. Udemy pretty regularly has sales where their online courses are $10 or so, and I loaded up a LOT on things like Python Bootcamp as a way to invest in myself. But those courses are lying fallow at the moment. My day job is even offering its employees money if they graduate from their own 'boot-camp' like Nanodegree programs, and I've signed up for the Intro to Programming one without making much progress in it. Learning how to code is not only an essential skill for our current world, but it also gives me a solid foundation for stretching my marketability. I can get into more technical positions within this company and others once I have a better understanding of the basics. There is an unparalleled chance to learn all kinds of marketable skills out there; all I have to do is spend the time on it. So, at least 30 minutes a day on my current Nanodegree program doesn't seem like too much time to spend.
Exercise. This is the most variable habit; at first, I wanted to just make sure I was getting in 30 minutes or more of exercise three - four times a week, but with the SIP I'm thinking that carving out time every day is a better idea. Right now my husband and I are doing Ring Fit Adventure, which is a really good way to get moving indoors. I've been trying to hang in there for at least 15 minutes a session, and I can't quite manage every day yet because my lower back and thighs get pretty tired after three days in a row. I'd like to supplement my time there with walking and running on off days, just to make sure I'm doing something to keep active. Most of my time these days is spent sitting, and that can't be good.
Grooming. I'm not proud to admit this, but I don't have the best grooming habits. Especially in depression, it can be easy to go a week between showers, or just...not brush my teeth for a few days because I "don't feel like it". But honestly -- making sure you're clean and well-groomed is a pretty key thing to do to keep your morale up, and I've learned how to truly enjoy taking a shower after exercising. It's a great relief for the muscles. Brushing my teeth, flossing, and skin care are included here when I feel up to it. I'm still feeling my way through what's best to do every day, but I try to decide every morning what 'counts' (shower and brushing teeth always; maybe flossing, maybe shaving, maybe cocoa butter) and use that metric.
There are a few other daily habits I'm trying to build, too -- like cleaning or straightening a part of the Burrow, or logging my food intake consistently -- but they aren't part of the tracker. Maybe they should be!
Meditation. This is the one I've had the most success with, though I still struggle with being consistent about it. Since I'm sheltering in place and have a lot more time, the goal is to meditate for at least 30 minutes every day. I usually do this in the morning, about 15 minutes after I get up. The biggest trouble with that time is that I'm still a little groggy, so it's harder to focus and sometimes I end up nodding off a time or two. Sometimes, after a particularly heavy day at work (or if I really want a productive evening) I'll meditate after work as well.
Writing. This is the big one right now. I'd love to devote at least 30 minutes to writing for a short story or serial project -- this month, most of my focus will be on writing "Crushing The Competition", my Patreon story for the Jackalope Serial Company. My plan is to run the serial over 50 episodes of 2,000 - 2,500 words each, released weekly. I'm already pretty far behind: this is week 15 of 2020, and I've only released seven episodes. I'd like to write up towards a buffer, but also release three episodes every two weeks until I'm caught up to where I should be. This would give me a lot of new content to release on a delay to FurAffinity and SoFurry, which will hopefully draw new eyes to the Patreon. With things being uncertain as they are, building a new way to make a little extra money is undoubtedly a good thing.
But it's not just for money, of course. I've wanted to be a writer ever since I was a child. I tried typing a sequel to "The Wind in the Willows" when I was like, ten or twelve. And I know that I've had to work through depression and anxiety and ADHD, but it's frustrating that I'm nearly 40 years old and I *still* haven't developed a serious practice. That stops now. I know that there are a lot of barriers to managing a consistent practice right now, but there are always going to be. A writer writes. I need to figure this shit out and make it happen.
Reading. To paraphrase Stephen King -- a writer who doesn't have time to read doesn't have the time -- or the tools -- to write properly. I've fallen out of reading as heavily as I used to and I'd like to get some of that back. There are SO MANY good things out there; furry fiction is really coming along with a host of wonderful writers; the #OwnVoices movement is producing an explosive variety of sci-fi and fantasy from perspectives we've never seen before; Afro-Futurism is a burgeoning genre in itself, and it's been wonderful to see anthologies speak to not only that but urban and historical fantasy from a Black perspective; and Solarpunk offers us a genre we can look to for examples of a positive, more ecologically sustainable future. All of these are serious potential influences, and these are the spaces I want to break into. Writing, to me, is a conversation, between the individual and the society he's in. How can I be a part of that conversation without listening to what others are saying? I should be spending at least 30 minutes a day reading.
Study. Udemy pretty regularly has sales where their online courses are $10 or so, and I loaded up a LOT on things like Python Bootcamp as a way to invest in myself. But those courses are lying fallow at the moment. My day job is even offering its employees money if they graduate from their own 'boot-camp' like Nanodegree programs, and I've signed up for the Intro to Programming one without making much progress in it. Learning how to code is not only an essential skill for our current world, but it also gives me a solid foundation for stretching my marketability. I can get into more technical positions within this company and others once I have a better understanding of the basics. There is an unparalleled chance to learn all kinds of marketable skills out there; all I have to do is spend the time on it. So, at least 30 minutes a day on my current Nanodegree program doesn't seem like too much time to spend.
Exercise. This is the most variable habit; at first, I wanted to just make sure I was getting in 30 minutes or more of exercise three - four times a week, but with the SIP I'm thinking that carving out time every day is a better idea. Right now my husband and I are doing Ring Fit Adventure, which is a really good way to get moving indoors. I've been trying to hang in there for at least 15 minutes a session, and I can't quite manage every day yet because my lower back and thighs get pretty tired after three days in a row. I'd like to supplement my time there with walking and running on off days, just to make sure I'm doing something to keep active. Most of my time these days is spent sitting, and that can't be good.
Grooming. I'm not proud to admit this, but I don't have the best grooming habits. Especially in depression, it can be easy to go a week between showers, or just...not brush my teeth for a few days because I "don't feel like it". But honestly -- making sure you're clean and well-groomed is a pretty key thing to do to keep your morale up, and I've learned how to truly enjoy taking a shower after exercising. It's a great relief for the muscles. Brushing my teeth, flossing, and skin care are included here when I feel up to it. I'm still feeling my way through what's best to do every day, but I try to decide every morning what 'counts' (shower and brushing teeth always; maybe flossing, maybe shaving, maybe cocoa butter) and use that metric.
There are a few other daily habits I'm trying to build, too -- like cleaning or straightening a part of the Burrow, or logging my food intake consistently -- but they aren't part of the tracker. Maybe they should be!
no subject
Date: 2020-04-09 12:35 am (UTC)I am happy to hear that you have been able to build a good schedule and stick to it. I've been having a really hard time myself. My depression have been really wreaking havoc and I have been sleeping 12 hours or more which I hate I'v really had a hard time stopping.