Remember your primary school timetable? It was colorful and had cool stickers on it, it was stuck at the back of your diary and you probably didn’t know how to read it. I resumed teaching violin part time at a primary school and surprisingly my teaching days are my most productive working days. When I work from home despite all its advantages I tend to have haphazard timings, workaholic tendencies when a project is due and irregular eating habits. There are many reasons why; maybe because of the work environment and being around others kind of regulates your behavior (I can’t sneak in 2 hours of TV) but also it’s because of the Genius of the Timetable. A typical primary school timetable is broken down like this: It’s beautiful isn’t it!
In school the timetable is there to regulate and create order but besides that it is broken down into sections in order to help you to be productive, rest, eat and have fun. I adopted a similar timetable and at the end of the day I felt accomplished, rested and nourished without trying too hard. We can’t all have primary school time tables but we can include elements of it in order to create happier, more productive and sustainable lifestyles. Here’s Why and How Assembly Why Having a “self-assembly” helps me set up for the day and sets a formal starting time for working. This has a relaxing effect over me because I don’t try doing small tasks, answering calls or emails in the middle of the day when I should be focusing on my work, How: The first thing I do when I sit at my work station is check in emotionally, physically, write down my to-do lists, evaluate yesterday, check emails and return calls etc During the day if I am given a task or I remember things to do/ buy I write them down and forget about them until assembly time; no matter how small. Work in chunks Why Your brain and body work better with frequent rests. I am guilty of sometimes doing marathon sessions of 6-10 hours straight only to realize that the work is un-creative and I’ve started hating it (I know you know what I mean) How I break down my work into 1 hr 30 mins chunks which makes them manageable and more enjoyable. And if I am honest and consistent I’ll have met all my targets anyway. Break and lunch Why We always overlook this at the office. We rush our lunch or have a lunch meeting or eat at our desks. With my new timetable I realized I am more productive if I have scheduled break/lunch away from my work station, it’s even better if I can sit in a different position to stretch out my muscles. How I grab a pillow and sit cross legged in the garden with my lunch, then take a 20 minute nap, go for a walk, eat outside the office etc. Golden time! Why A “Golden time” or “play time” can be anything that releases stress and energy. Something radically different working on different parts of your brain. This gives your brain a rest and your body some exercise which gives you the mental energy to complete work later. Its something to look forward to, so it releases endorphins which keep you happy during your more boring tasks. How I schedule an activity immediately after work. This is because then I wont go home and get too lazy and also I can drag some colleagues for accountability. It can be anything and can have different activities on different days i.e yoga, karate, nap, reading, art class, cooking class etc. Story time Why The best way to get a child to fall asleep is to read to them a story book. This age old tradition has stood the test of time because of the psychological effects of reading. It causes the child to be still and listen slowing down all their other functions. The story also initiates the imagination which act like a stepping stone to their dreams. I believe as adults we need this story time too. Many adults struggle with sleep simply because of the way they start. If you get into bed in a highly anxious state your sleep will feel the same. How It means at the end of the day I reply to my last messages, set my alarms then put my devices away. Pray and then snuggle up to a story book. often times falling asleep with it on my face (Don't laugh, i know it happens to you too) SO Take control of your time Whether you’re working at home or in the office, at 10 go for a 20 minute walk and at lunch time walk to the nearest park for a picnic. Call some colleagues for some golden circle time and do some yoga, a match, painting or martial arts to release the tension. At the end of the day don’t be shy to grab a hot cup of milk and whip out a story book before you snuggle in. People will look at you funny but you’ll be more productive, happier and soon they’ll ask you, “How do you do it!” em.....:)
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Yes yes I know it's cheesy but I asked my self that anyway. I wondered at that moment what would matter most? It is what I have accomplished.
Playing that answer back I realized that’s rubbish, no one cares about that. At least it wouldn’t make them visit me on my last days. It’s actually not all the things I have done or accomplished and all the accolades lined up on my wall. What matters is actually who I am and what I stand for. Why else would anyone come to my bedside or send me flowers? Why else would anyone care? All the greats of history did not become immortalized in our minds because of all their achievements it was because of who they were and what they stood for and that fueled all the great thing that they did. Think of Bob Marley, Winston Church hill, Barack Obama, Mandela etc. It is their drive, determination, values, aggressiveness and virtues that we remember and applaud and their achievements are simply the inevitable result of who they became. “Whatever you do in life is insignificant, but it’s very important that you do it”- Gandhi We sometimes have it all confused, thinking that what we do is most important and honestly it really doesn’t matter; but you’ve got to do it. Because who we are is defined by what we do and what we do is connected to our destinies and all our destinies are intertwined in the ongoing fabric of history. That was a long gibberish sentence but my point is this: We fulfill our destiny by doing what we do because of who we are. We are who we are because of what we do to fulfill our destiny. A mouth full, I know, but a delicious one. So just do everything your instinct is telling you to do whether it succeeds or fails is none of your business. If it goes through it is part of your destiny if it not it is not meant to be; get over it and move on. Life has nothing to do with all the hard work you put in but you’ve got to work hard. So stop being scared, forge every path and climb every mountain, run every marathon and jump through all the rings of fire. That is the furnace that is forging your character and building all our destinies. Just take a deep breath, smile and jump into the deep end. em..:) |