It's just after eleven in the morning as I sit down to write this. I'm in my local library with my laptop in front of me and iPod earphones playing Dylan tracks on shuffle, just loud enough to (mostly) drown out the conversational racket all around me. By the way, when did libraries stop being places in which people had to whisper? Call me old-fashioned, but I really did prefer it that way.
Anyway, I've allowed myself an hour to write - it's generally how long a Moodscope message takes me - in fact simply to get this far, ten minutes have already ticked by.
And my point? Well when I opened my eyes this morning I knew it was going to be one of those 'so so' days: not dramatically awful, but not especially sparkling either. I knew. My Moodscope score confirmed it.
When I feel a bit yucky, I know how easy it can be to give in to the glums if I don't set goals for myself. If I'd sat in my office at home, I'm sure the morning would have drifted past unproductively, so coming out to the library gave me a sense of mission. It also seemed to help that I'd allocated an hour to this particular task, twenty five minutes of which (gulp) have now passed.
I'm even successfully resisting the urge to check my email until I've finished, which is helping focus me on the task in hand.
Maybe it's an approach that can work for you, too, next time you're facing a less than dandy day? The key steps seem to be:
1. Choose a mission for yourself, ideally one that can be completed in a limited period of time.
2. Change your location if you can, even if it means moving to a different room in your home. Who says you can only prepare vegetables in the kitchen? Why shouldn't you change the duvet cover in the living room?
3. Carrots and sticks can be helpful. Modestly reward yourself for achieving your goal, but definitely decide what your 'prize' will be before you start.
It's not really rocket science is it? In fact I'm sure it's something you've already tried in the past. Sometimes, though, perhaps we all need a little reminder of such survival tactics? I know I do.
So there we go, time's up, and the achievement does feel surprisingly good. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to check my email.
This post is just what I needed today - feeling lethargic and anxiety creeping in, I often know that making a to-do-list and doing specific tasks (especially the ones I've been putting off) gives me a sense of achievement and drowns out the little inexplicable fears that start to linger. But sometimes you need a little push to actually do it. Thanks for this (and all your other) post(s).
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I hope today's a brighter one for you. It's bloody lovely outside where I am! Thank you, as ever.
ReplyDeleteI know those days well enough and have learnt to do as you do. Ruminating on the negative is a downward spiral for me so I have a few things I do that I know usually will help me refocus.
ReplyDeleteI often wonder how you manage to provide us with your lovely email each day even when you are not feeling that great yourself Jon. But the interesting thing is that it's not obvious to me that you feel down in an email which makes me think that maybe I can hide it successfully too. We feel awful but the people we talk to haven't a clue unless we tell them. Actually the last part of your email actually made me laugh..the bit "Now if you'll excuse me.."
ReplyDeleteIt always amazes me if I manage to make someone laugh when I'm down;I think they are pretending but maybe not now...
Excellent reminders as usual, gentle and encouraging, often that is all that anyone needs. Thank you :-)
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed that as you climb a mountain it seems to get smaller as you get closer to the top, and when you get there you are invariably rewarded with a wonderful view?
On with this year's tax return.....
thank you once again.
Phil G.
Another piece of good advice, really quite simple but very effective. Thank you once again
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thanks for sharing this with us - black dog days seem to be better if the 'dog' is taken out somewhere.
ReplyDeletei love your dailies, jon, replied already once, remember when you wrote about the art of making porridge?
ReplyDeletethis one is also an idea which works out really fine for me. while i've been in a large company, some years ago now, it was always helpful if i had a completely different task where i needed to develop an independent opinion, to take all stuff to the office kitchen of my floor. there was no chat at all, people only getting their coffee and leaving. and there i always have been very productive (no phone, no email indeed, luckily). but it only worked out because people did not recognize that i went out to have half an hour or an hour to work there...
thanks again for these hours you spend for us!!
marcus from germany
I loved this post! Thank you. I hope today has been a brighter day.
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