23 days into 2022 and how am I doing?
Not the best. After the first week, I started to rate myself against the P’s of my New Year Resolutions and I was massively kind to myself. Another week on and I started to feel the January Blues. All coinciding with “Blue Monday” – a day coined as the most depressive day of the year. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Monday_(date)). And right now, I’m feeling mixed, perhaps a bit despondent.
As I sat on my 4 hour total commute the other day, I realised that for me to achieve the things I want, I must choose; make an active choice on how I use my time; and ultimately concluded that I will need to make sacrifices. I’ve written before about putting time-in:
‘Time Out’? or ‘Time In-To’?, March 2013
Working out how to utilise the time you have better to get more from it. But I do believe that means finding a delicate balance of compromising your own desires and urges while meeting commitments and importantly, not ignoring self-care.
Contemplating this more now, I think that maybe it’s only at the beginning that those choices feel like sacrifices. Perhaps it gets easier so you don’t consider omitting those activities as sacrificing pleasures, just instead you are gaining and prioritising new and different pleasures? I guess that is what we mean by achieving a balance.
They often suggest that the best diets, for example, are those that don’t take all the pleasure out of food/eating. They suggest that you never stop eating the things you like, just encourage you to reduce them by eating either smaller quantities or eating them less frequently – so I think it’s the same with this.
My guilty pleasure is to do my make-up on the train rather than getting up 15-mins earlier. The next is to attempt the crossword, followed by the Sudoku’s. In between, I’ll catch up on texts and emails. What a waste.
On the way back, I try to read a book but can often be too tired to focus after a long day and again, I’ll do some puzzles.
There is definitely some time in those 4-hours, twice a week that I could use for a more productive activity. I do know that. I have always known that. I just need to do it and to sacrifice my current pleasures of numerous puzzles.
This is just one example of a block of time in my day that could be repurposed. Reflecting on other times, I have realised that my mental state is definitely affecting my ability to utilise my time well. I’m often physically tired or emotionally drained. Even as I write this, I am flagging and it is the 2nd time I’ve tried to complete it.
I’m recognising that I need and want to commit some time to making more of a ‘plan’ about the HOW. Giving myself some time to pull together some techniques or strategies that will make my Ps a success but also this blog. Every time I come back to this post, things have shifted but I have more to add too and it just keeps getting too long. (I have 2-3 posts for the near future already drafted!)
Sacrifices and Planning.
A fairly blunt instruction to myself but hopefully one that will help towards making Progress, a Pain-free life and feeling more Powerful in myself.
Yellow is Dead 
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