Now I know your faithful readers will be like, you deserve this. Part of me agrees. I deserved to waste a morning, an afternoon or an evening. But an entire 12 hours where all I've accomplished is cleaning a house and laundry?? What about doing something for myself? Like going for a run? Doing a little shopping? or perhaps not playing iphone games for an entire hour? I guess I would be ok if this was one day but I'm not working smart. I work hard, but not smart and I need to work smarter, and if I'm honest a tad harder. I need to actually read science papers at work instead of blogs. I need to focus on doing the little things that make life easier, like folding the clothers while watching TV at night instead of sitting like a lump on the couch. That way I'm getting rid of the clutter in our small house, while still doing something I enjoy. Seriously fold the sheets is not stressful or work. Its mindless and easy to do while watching So You Think You Can Dance. I need to wake up at 6am and go for a run. I have to. My body and mind need it. I need to realize putting myself first doesn't mean giving myself an excuse to sit on my ass, but a reason to be efficient. If I had gotten off my ass and gone in today, I wouldn't stress about trying to figure out how to do it with the monkey on Tuesday. See taking 4 hours to do some work today would've saved me stress next week. Working smarter. Thinking about how to best use my time so that I am not exhausted and to tired to go for a run. Because if I don't start working out, my energy is just going to go down.
Sunday is a new week. I'm going to try and put myself first properly. Which also means letting myself waste a day without guilt.
What I did do today:
- Clean the washroom - so much easier now that I use biodegradable wipes to clean on a daily basis
- Did laundry
- Tidied the house
- Folded laundry
- Cleaned my car
- Relaxed!
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8 comments:
I have to confess, on days when I have worked first, then played, I feel better about life. I don't feel this horrible sense of guilt and hiding when I'm sitting knitting or futzing about on the computer. I know that I have done at least some productive stuff, so I'm not guilty.
It's a hard lesson to learn, and I'm still not as good about it as I could be, but I'm getting better about working then playing - if only because it's worth it to really enjoy the playing.
If I don't make a "to do" list every evening before I leave my job, I am lost the next day. Likewise, if I don't make a "to do" list as I am drinking my coffee on the weekend mornings when things definitely have to get done (groceries, washing, cleaning, ironing, etc.), things just don't get done. The satisfaction of crossing things off the list motivates me to carry through with everything.
Speaking of which, I am sipping my coffee now, and if I don't get off the computer and start jotting what needs to be done, I'll be left with a filthy house and no food in the fridge for another week!
Yes, I know these days... luckily, they don't happen that often post-phd anymore.
I can tall you out of experience that watching my favorite series go very well with folding and ironing laundry. Also, I hear Nature podcast (and others) while working out/running. Someone should invent a mpr player and headphones that one can use in the pool.
Take a deep breath, and let it go. Tomorrow is a new day and a new week.
If it makes you feel any better, I crashed for 3 hours this afternoon. I had planned to do chores. And if I could just tear myself away from the blogosphere, I could get to that pile of laundry just sitting right .. over .. there.
I agree with anon (8/16) that making a to-do list before leaving or right away over coffee in the morning is helpful. I heart crossing stuff off the to-do list. I have even been known, when doing something routine that had to be done, to write it down and cross it off because I just did it. Makes for feeling productive. This is something that helps a lot of SAHM get through the routine of their day since their chores are a daily repeat. Grad school can often be the same way.
I do like to-do lists and I understand how you feel. There are lots of weekends where I just want to sit at home and drink my coffee, not get up and go into the lab. And I usually feel guilty about it later. What I've tried lately is to reward myself. So, if I get up and go into the lab, then I get to catch up on my blogs when I get home or read a fun, non-science-related book.
But don't be too hard on yourself. We all have "wasted" days sometimes. And sometimes they're not wasted so much as recharge days. Sometimes you need those, too.
I hear you. I had work to do yesterday, but what with sleeping and eating and napping and iPhone games and phone calls and blog reading, I somehow didn't start it until after 5pm. FAIL. I also ended up staying up later than I wanted to because I didn't start my laundry early enough. Maybe there was lazy-juice in the water this weekend ;)
Mrs.Spit - yes it is a hard lesson to learn. I'm getting it slowly...
Anon - I <3 lists. I've been known to write something down, just to cross it off!
Fia - yes I know folding and TV go well together, but so does blogging and TV! :)
BA - good thing to remember. Tomorrow is a new day. I've been better at using my time wisely and enjoying the time at home with monkey.
Amanda - I definitely felt recharged after, so yes it probably wasn't a wasted day. Sometimes we just need to veg.
Cath - lets blame the lazy juice! Something was in the water!
It's a hard lesson to learn.....
Thanks for sharing this post with us..
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