A few days ago I was genuinely concerned about how I’d manage to wrangle with October and stay on top of everything. All in all, I know that I can keep up if only because I have the capacity to be able to deal with everything. It’s kind of maddening because I don’t deal with having long stretches of inactivity all that well. It’s a known fact that I get twitchy when I’m not productive. Plus, I get some type of high off of being productive. It’s why I fill my time the way I do. So, anyway, I was more than ready to tackle the month off with gusto, then illness struck. I started showing symptoms of a common cold on Wednesday, and I’ve been battling it since. Mucus is clogging my sinuses and my windpipe. I’ve been coughing badly. I tried to beat it into submission by taking meds frequently. I even tried heading downtown this evening to prove that I can go about my life without illness getting in the way. Oops. By the end of the night the cold air was making me feel gross. I’ve been in a bad state since I’ve gotten home. So much for that. It’s all a reminder that beyond whatever overachiever guise I’ve got I’m merely human. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s emphasizing that I really do need to take care of myself better. Does it mean that I’m going to scale my activities down? No, but at least I’m not going to kill myself trying to be everything to everyone.
Tag Archive: schedule
Forming October
So, I’m in the process of filling in my calendar for October. I’m scheduling various parties, my fitness schedules, events, and anything else that comes to mind that might require a reminder of some sort. At the moment, I must say that I’m feeling a little bit apprehensive just looking at the whole month. Thursdays seem to be my only island of calm that month amidst a sea of classes and get togethers. I haven’t signed up yet, but I’m on the verge of taking on a CrossFit BootCamp class at my local CrossFit box. That’s going to occupy Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. I still have improv practice and therapy sessions on Monday nights. I’m still coaching my running clinic on Sunday, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, right up until race day on the 16th. After that those days become free once more, except for the Tuesday right after the race which is scheduled to be a celebratory get together for my group. On Saturdays I have my baking class in the morning. There’s one weekend in there with a wedding. Later on in the month I’m planning on filling in my Thursday evenings with a 6-week core conditioning class. By the end of that class I should be able to kneel on a yoga ball.
So yeah, this is going to be my life for the next little while. It’s enough to make me worry; it’s enough to make me insane. I really have to focus on getting enough sleep and maintaining good health in this period. I had joked that I would collapse into a big heap by the end of this period, but someone quickly pointed out that I kind of live for this kind of thing. Heh. Yes. Yes, I do. I don’t consider myself an over-achiever, but I know that I can achieve a lot. We all have the capacity to do many great things. It’s up to us to figure out a way to fulfill our destinies, right? So yes, I’m going to keep working hard, and keep pushing myself. This last month of me being in my 20s is going to be transformative. I’m going to make it happen.
Reclaiming my time
OK seriously, I love taking the classes that I take during the weekends. They’ve been useful in expanding my improvising skills. All the same, I am looking forward to these classes ending, and regaining my weekends again. At the moment, the classes basically take my afternoons and eat into the evenings. By the time I get home I’m already tired enough to call it a night. For example, today I had plans to organize my place, go grocery shopping, and catch up on a little bit of reading. For now, it doesn’t look like I’m going to accomplish any of that, and that’s driving me nuts. I’m sure there’s a balance that needs to be struck, but I haven’t yet found it. I know. Asking for more hours in the day is just silly. I just need to plan better. So yeah, where has the time gone again? Bah!
A lesson on timing
If you leave for someplace 10 minutes early and arrive 10 minutes later than the usual arrival…
you really didn’t leave early at all in the first place.
Checking in with myself
About a month ago, shortly after I got my new phone I decided to start a Foursquare account just to see what all the fuss was about. A month later I’m still using it, but wondering if there will ever be a point to faithfully checking in and keeping track of where I’ve been when I’m out and about in the city. I don’t know, but I suppose that if they don’t change their model sooner or later I’ll end up just giving up on the service.
Anyway, I just a few minutes ago I was looking at my checkins and noticed that I didn’t do anything today. It took me a moment or two to remember that I didn’t leave my pad at any point today. Nope. I took today to been in my cocoon. I don’t feel like I got much accomplished other than doing a couple of loads of laundry, but yeah, this seems to have been necessary. For the past seven days besides work I’ve been out and about with various activities. I made it through intact, but often during the week I’d end up falling asleep on the couch, or with the lights on, or with my street clothes on. It takes a lot of energy to maintain stay this busy. I’m not complaining in the least; I need to stay mentally active. With this much stuff going on, it becomes even more important to have a bit of personal time to not be engaged in anything of importance. Honestly though I wish I’d gone out. I could have gone grocery shopping perhaps, or walked over to Wal-mart. Heck, I could have gone across the street to grab a cup of coffee at Tim Hortons. I’m acting restless, I guess.
I just checked my calendar for the next while. I decided to start up with the plyometrics again after a long absence. With that in, from the 20th to the 1st I’ll have a long string of days with at least one activity. I’m not going to freak out. This is the schedule I’ve asked for.
WFH
I know there are a lot of people that relish the thought of being able to work from home, but personally it’s something that I wouldn’t be able to stand for an extended period. It’s something that I can do now and then, but if I was asked to do it regularly I’d probably go insane. I can’t be the only one that feels this way, right?
First of all, I like having a separation of my domestic realm and my professional realm. A bit of overlap is inevitable, but for the most part I don’t want the two worlds to be too close together. Once there’s overlap, if I were to continually work at home I’m afraid that my sense of sanctuary will become filled with stress. Where’s the good in that? Those few days when I work at home, I find that I end up not leaving the place all day. It’s easy to get a bit of cabin fever as a result. For that matter, in terms of work, being at home means that there are a lot of potential distractions. Conversely, if I end up getting a bit absorbed in something related to my home, work itself becomes the distraction. If I don’t leave this place, it means that I don’t have any proper face-to-face social interaction. It can get boring here without someone to talk to.
Having a workplace to commute to is great for a couple of reasons. It allows me to see a different part of the city that I wouldn’t travel to otherwise. It forces me to get outside and get some fresh air. It means I can connect with the city and tap into the urban conscience. Travelling increases the chances I’ll get a bit more exercise than I normally would. Being in the city allows me to see people. Yeah, I have introverted tendencies, but there’s something about a crowd of city-dwellers that’s somewhat comforting.
So, anyway, leading up to Mother’s Day we’re monitoring the site again during some odd hours. Due to the late shift, we’re being allowed to work from home. This is why I’ve been lounging around at home today, and I’ll be doing the same thing tomorrow. It really isn’t so bad, but I can’t do it for an extended period. Truthfully, I’m looking forward to going back to a normal schedule after the holiday. Thing is, the period between now and then is going to be rather crazy. More on that later, I guess…
Grounding effect of routine
Without a bit of routine to differentiate the days, I’m feeling kind of lost. I can mentally tell myself that this is Saturday, but it doesn’t feel like a weekend. It feels like every other past day for me this week. It’s kind of mind-boggling for me that tomorrow is Sunday. That means that I have a run tomorrow morning. It also means that I have work again in two days.
I’m not necessarily saying that I want to be at work again. I’ve established that in yesterday’s post. Actually, more than anything I think I’m craving the bit of routine that work provides. It divides the week such that I can actually look forward to the weekend. Without it, this week has just been a blur. Sure, that’s a great thing on a few levels, but…
Aaaaargh. I almost typed something that I shouldn’t type.
I swear, next time I plan on taking time off I should try to make it a destination vacation. We’ll see.
Jason’s 2009
Just like I stated last year, at this time of year I have a tendency to avoid doing these run down type posts. I tend to do these on my birthday, and usually it’s enough. Thing is, I think for a year like this a little bit of navel-gazing is necessary. There’s a lot of talk about this year being a tough one. By and large, yes, it was tough. With all of the doom and gloom, it can be easy for me to sink into a dark place. There are, however, enough reasons for me to look up and forward. That’s why it’s important for me to see what I’ve gone through.
This is one heck of an entry, so I’m placing it after the jump.
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