Hi all,
I’ve mentioned at various points over the past few weeks that I’ve felt a strong sense of rebuilding within my routines in 2018. That’s all well and good but I thought it might be helpful if I followed up with some specific examples about what went into this feeling.
The big TOA related adjustment was how I started proofreading posts at home instead of in the library. I’m sure this change has helped the quality of writing improve in some immeasurable way but I think the biggest impact of the adjustment has been on my time management. I’ve always been unable to reliably predict how long proofreading will take and this made it difficult for me in the past to plan my time in the library effectively. On a couple of occasions, I’ve also been in danger of missing my daily posting commitment thanks to proofreading tasks piling up. I’ve felt the decision to move an inherently unpredictable task away from a time-constrained part of my day was one of the better adjustments I made in 2018 and one I can probably replicate in other contexts over the coming years.
I’ve also made a couple of changes to my morning routine that I’ve felt has produced very good results. The first was to delay my first cup of coffee to around eleven AM on workdays and to stop at just the one cup. I’ve also started eating breakfast on rare occasions when I’ve suspected it would help restore my sleep schedule. I’ll speak to both of these adjustments in more detail in upcoming posts.
The mornings have also seen a redoubled commitment to my strength workouts. These take me between ten and fifteen minutes and feature only body-weight exercises designed to strengthen injured areas or help me more effectively run long distances. There is nothing groundbreaking in any of the basic exercises I do but I feel that the renewed consistency has played a significant role in helping me feel stronger today than I did three months ago.
Finally, back in November I mentioned how I was studying feedback and openly exploring different ways to communicate more effectively. A recent result of these efforts has been my attempt to limit emails to one thing at a time. This has not been an easy or consistent change but I’ve thought the results have been good anytime I’ve managed to keep an email to one thought or question. The change has been far easier to implement with the emails I initiate than it has been with those I respond to (which is most of my email) – for now, I’m settling with just trying to match what I get (so if I’m sent three ideas, I’ll try to have a three-part response).
That’s all for today, and for the February monthly review. I’ll continue to include any changes to my routines, patterns, or habits as part of future proper admins and we’ll see how it goes.
Until then, take care, and thanks for reading.
In the next month of... True On Average...
1. How to ride the subway like a soccer star...
2. More of the usual trash talk...
3. What's the most important thing with the Buddha?
