Slow Little Life
Dec. 11th, 2023 12:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jakebeI took a day off so I could ease into the week and catch up on a few things. I wanted to see what it would be like to...have a relatively simple to-do list and give myself the day to handle it. So far I've meditated, gone on my neighborhood walk, showered, shaved, and moisturized. I had breakfast, and I've considered what I'd like to get done this week. That's gone into the Bullet Journal, and now I'm doing my morning journal.
I don't move quickly. :)
I'm hoping to finish up on the laundry, wash and dry the bedsheets, finish cleaning the kitchen so I can run the dishwasher, and maybe take another pass at straightening off my computer desk before heading off to the dentist for my temporary crown. Seeing how I have about three hours before I'll need to go, that might be a tight fit.
Or maybe it won't! It shouldn't be too hard to get rolling once I'm out of the chair, and I'm a lot more comfortable with cleaning than I am with organizing for some reason. Maybe there will be plenty of time for everything if I can schedule everything just so. Bedsheets first, then dishes for the dishwasher. Then, cleaning up the living room tables -- this should get me to putting the bedsheets in the dryer.
Folding laundry and straightening the living room should take about 45 minutes; after the sheets are done, they'll go back on the bed and then the trash is ready to go down. THAT should take me to 3 and R. getting home, where I can mop up any extra business or hit my Duolingo lesson before the dentist. Appointment is at 4 PM; I should get out and home by 5:15 or so, which I think I'll leave blank as well for now. There's a D&D game at 6 PM, and we'll likely do dinner after that, which will take us into bedtime.
I've been trying to spend a bit of time each morning visualizing what a successful and productive day looks like, so I thought I'd write it down here -- for at least what's left of the day. Cleaning will be the big task today, so hopefully this means there will be less stress about writing and exercise. I've taken a look at my day and decided that cleaning up is the most valuable use for the time I have.
What this experiment also tells me is that I could certainly use a slower pace in life. It can feel like I'm not really...connected to what's happening when I'm just rushing from thing to thing and place to place; for me, it takes silence and stillness for me to feel most like myself. That's the environment I'm most attracted to.
This reaffirms a few things. I should definitely be putting more time and focus on clearing away the clutter in my home and being very considerate about my space. I'd like to get to a point where there's nothing in eyeshot that isn't there for a purpose, but that takes a lot of deliberate action over a long period of time. Not something I'm the best about, but I like to think I've gotten better at picking things up when I set my mind to it.
For the second thing, I really do work best in relative silence. I'm not sure how to establish a boundary with that yet, though. I could ask R. to wear his headphones more often when we're working together, but I also enjoy having those two days where it feels like I'm at the office. :)
It could be a start just to tell him when I need an environment a bit more suitable for concentrating. It would help me to be more...present with my work and give me practice with communicating my needs. And, if I have that power to control my environment, then I should at least exercise responsibility in asking for that control only when I need it. It's not a good look to shush your husband and then spend a bunch of time playing solitaire.
I've been thinking a little about making Kwanzaa posts this year, maybe viewing the Seven Principles through my perspective and experience to talk about what they mean on a fundamental level. Like, what does it mean to have Self-Determination and why is it so important? It's a little back-to-basics, but...I think it will help to focus me for the new year and bridge that gap between talking about the principles vs. living them.
Overall, I want to spend more time doing the work that's important to me -- without the stress that comes with the actual doing of important work for me. In order to do that, it's important for me to find and eliminate the roots of that stress. That means thinking a lot about things that have largely been invisible up until now and figuring out how to change. Not easy work, but...this is what the holidays are for, right? To reflect on where we are and decide how to pivot for what's next.
I don't move quickly. :)
I'm hoping to finish up on the laundry, wash and dry the bedsheets, finish cleaning the kitchen so I can run the dishwasher, and maybe take another pass at straightening off my computer desk before heading off to the dentist for my temporary crown. Seeing how I have about three hours before I'll need to go, that might be a tight fit.
Or maybe it won't! It shouldn't be too hard to get rolling once I'm out of the chair, and I'm a lot more comfortable with cleaning than I am with organizing for some reason. Maybe there will be plenty of time for everything if I can schedule everything just so. Bedsheets first, then dishes for the dishwasher. Then, cleaning up the living room tables -- this should get me to putting the bedsheets in the dryer.
Folding laundry and straightening the living room should take about 45 minutes; after the sheets are done, they'll go back on the bed and then the trash is ready to go down. THAT should take me to 3 and R. getting home, where I can mop up any extra business or hit my Duolingo lesson before the dentist. Appointment is at 4 PM; I should get out and home by 5:15 or so, which I think I'll leave blank as well for now. There's a D&D game at 6 PM, and we'll likely do dinner after that, which will take us into bedtime.
I've been trying to spend a bit of time each morning visualizing what a successful and productive day looks like, so I thought I'd write it down here -- for at least what's left of the day. Cleaning will be the big task today, so hopefully this means there will be less stress about writing and exercise. I've taken a look at my day and decided that cleaning up is the most valuable use for the time I have.
What this experiment also tells me is that I could certainly use a slower pace in life. It can feel like I'm not really...connected to what's happening when I'm just rushing from thing to thing and place to place; for me, it takes silence and stillness for me to feel most like myself. That's the environment I'm most attracted to.
This reaffirms a few things. I should definitely be putting more time and focus on clearing away the clutter in my home and being very considerate about my space. I'd like to get to a point where there's nothing in eyeshot that isn't there for a purpose, but that takes a lot of deliberate action over a long period of time. Not something I'm the best about, but I like to think I've gotten better at picking things up when I set my mind to it.
For the second thing, I really do work best in relative silence. I'm not sure how to establish a boundary with that yet, though. I could ask R. to wear his headphones more often when we're working together, but I also enjoy having those two days where it feels like I'm at the office. :)
It could be a start just to tell him when I need an environment a bit more suitable for concentrating. It would help me to be more...present with my work and give me practice with communicating my needs. And, if I have that power to control my environment, then I should at least exercise responsibility in asking for that control only when I need it. It's not a good look to shush your husband and then spend a bunch of time playing solitaire.
I've been thinking a little about making Kwanzaa posts this year, maybe viewing the Seven Principles through my perspective and experience to talk about what they mean on a fundamental level. Like, what does it mean to have Self-Determination and why is it so important? It's a little back-to-basics, but...I think it will help to focus me for the new year and bridge that gap between talking about the principles vs. living them.
Overall, I want to spend more time doing the work that's important to me -- without the stress that comes with the actual doing of important work for me. In order to do that, it's important for me to find and eliminate the roots of that stress. That means thinking a lot about things that have largely been invisible up until now and figuring out how to change. Not easy work, but...this is what the holidays are for, right? To reflect on where we are and decide how to pivot for what's next.
