Monthly Archives: February 2019

Last Minute Blog Post is Last Minute.

I made it to the gym yesterday that is only the second time in February. If I could reliably go to the gym as often as I could reliably eat food that was bad for me I would look amazing – okay that i an exaggeration I still have a lot of limitations to work with.

I went to the gym at almost the last minute. In so far that I left about fifteen minutes before they closed. Yes. My gym actually closes. In this day and age that is unusual. To say I enjoy going to the gym would be an exaggeration but I did not not enjoy it. It was relatively quiet – which is more than I can say for the streets.

There was a rugby match on in Cardiff yesterday. My interest in rugby doesn’t extend beyond wanting to know if Wales won. So I had no idea that I was leaving my home at a time when I would encounter so many people – so I had to navigate around them.

I don’t like crowds. I have never liked them and when I am in a crowd situation I always feel uneasy. It might have something to do with the fact that the people in the crowd are often are often drunk and rowdy – or it might be that I am short and I feel like I am unnoticed and unimportant. That is why Napoleon did what he did – well actually not but history is written by the victors! I leaned that from a Klingon! Churchill may have said it too.

Some times on my weekend off I think of going out to a club. Which is crazy for me but I do. I think the idea comes from a desperate attempt to meet someone. The truth is though I have only enjoyed a club once. That was because of some special company. In all other instances I am an introvert – so meeting someone is a problem.

After the gym I had a kebab (which kind of renders the gym moot but let’s leave that alone) and ate it while watching The Man with the Golden Gun and washed down with some cider. And that was quite an enjoyable evening. Being alone is nice but I would like to be alone with someone. That may or may not be a contradiction.

I can’t say the same for today. I went to bed late and got up late. I was feeling discombobulated this morning. The only good thing about that is that I get to use the word discombobulated. It took me a while to get going and I had to tell my brain to shut up a few times.

I do have an almost Homer Simpson like relationship with my brain as he does with his. It is nearly 1500 now and I am sitting in Starbucks to type this. I am feeing a bit more myself. There is still plenty I want to do today so I better snap to it. I hope that you all have had a most amazing day.

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.  

I have a Patreon page. I hope you will consider supporting this blog: https://www.patreon.com/unstableorbit

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Filed under Productivity

In Search of a Title

https://www.pexels.com/photo/view-ape-thinking-primate-33535/

It is funny to me that the first thing that I am expected to write for a blog post is the title. Shouldn’t a title come at the end? The beginning for the reader but the end for the writer. As I write this I have no idea where it is going. And that is scary and exciting all at the same time.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/choices-decision-doors-doorway-277615/

While looking for inspiration I found this picture. Maybe it is just me but it feels like a good representation of my mind a lot of the time. The paralysis of indecision. What do I do? Which thing on my list?

A person’s life, their future, hinges on each of a thousand choices. Living is making choices!

Captain Picard (TNG: A Matter of Time)

On waking we have to decide if we are going to get out of bed or doze until we end up getting ready for work in a great rush! And when it comes to creativity we have to decide which project to work on.

Photo by James Wheeler from Pexels

I remember seeing an interview with Christopher Judge where he talked about writing. He said that the only way he could get his scripts written was to lock himself in a room until it was done.

Photo by Maria Pop from Pexels

And you can’t argue with the results. The SG-1 episode “The Warrior“, that Judge wrote, is an excellent story.

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

I have spoken quite a bit about productivity on this blog. I have used paper, various apps, and a spreadsheet and all of them have flaws. In the final analysis maybe the thing to to is to just sit down and do it. Which is true but not very helpful.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/bookcase-chair-computer-contemporary-263209/

In other news I have just come to the end of a week off work. The flat is still a bit of a mess but I have got ride of a small army of plastic bags. So progress is being made. I hope that all your endeavours are going well.

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors. 

I have a Patreon page. I hope you will consider supporting this blog: https://www.patreon.com/unstableorbit

Leave a comment

Filed under Productivity, travel, writing

Time

https://www.pexels.com/photo/clear-glass-with-red-sand-grainer-39396/

We all know the phrase: ‘Not enough hours in the day.’ I feel like that a lot of the time. And time management is one of the biggest challenges I think we face day-to-day.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/citrus-citrus-fruits-close-up-delicious-266346/

They also say: ‘When life gives you lemons…’ The lemons I have is not having written this before this morning. You are reading this sometime after 1800 hours on 2019-02-10 and I am writing it at 0947 on that day.

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

I was once asked at a job interview what my greatest weakness was – and the answer to that question is being a slave to the plan. I am not good with spontaneity in any area. I will sometimes have this thought: ‘I really want to do some writing today but it hasn’t come up on the plan.’ So yes I will follow a plan even if it is proven to have holes in it.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-and-black-dice-37524/

The plan does include randomisation. Every day I do house work, reading, meditation, Duolingo, and write Morning Pages. I change the order everyday because for some of those tasks there is no end.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/yellow-dead-end-sign-during-day-time-163728/

I can’t, for example, sit and finish an entire book in one sitting. So randomisation coupled with a timer is the only way I know to define an end. Sometimes I will read for half an hour and other times it might only be a few pages. Some days I will meditate for 13 minutes and others it might only be 3.

Photo by icon0.com from Pexels

Then there is the blog and a slew of other tasks I set myself. Some are quick and some take a long time. I have come to realise that I will never completely figure out managing my time. It is a challenge especially considering the weird place that is my brain with its contradictions and its fixation on patterns and doing things the established way – even if that way isn’t completely satisfactory. How do you deal with these challenges?

***
I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors. 

I have a Patreon page. I hope you will consider supporting this blog: https://www.patreon.com/unstableorbit

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

The Plan Before the Plan

https://www.pexels.com/photo/hand-pen-writing-plant-58457/

Did you ever have a revision timetable in school? I think I did but that was a long time ago and I have trouble remembering what happened yesterday. The cliche surrounding such a timetable is that you spend so much time making them look pretty that there isn’t enough time left to revise!

https://www.pexels.com/photo/board-chalk-chalkboard-exam-459793/

I actually did a lot of revision. So much that my parents had to actually tell me that I had done enough – and I think suggested I drink something. Maybe that is a false memory – like I said it was a long time ago.

Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels

Today there are approximately 1,771,561 apps that help with time management and productivity. Sorry that’s how many Tribbles there were. Anyway there are a lot of apps and you can spend hours planning, finding that the app doesn’t quite do what you want, and planning some more. A wonderful endless cycle of getting absolutely nothing done!

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

…or like me you can flip-flop between various apps and paper! I have realised that I will never be completely happy with any productivity set up. That is okay and yesterday (Thursday) I was actually productive! I finished one big tasks which was a great thing to get done and had the great moment of marking something done on Habitbull.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-bull-on-green-glass-field-under-grey-and-blue-cloudy-sky-139399/

Habitbull is a nice looking app with pretty colours all built in! I am back to using it again. The problem before was me. I try to do too much! So fingers crossed I have got it right. It is the start of a new month after all. The other app I am using is Any.do as that is more of a day-to-day thing rather than for longer term goals. What apps do you find useful?

Photo by Plush Design Studio from Pexels

So it is February. I feel like I should review January. This month has been okay. I have had the usual roller coaster of emotions – feeling weird and smiley one day and really unhappy the next. I think though I am starting to get a handle on the clutter and I am feeling a bit more satisfied about life. See you next time!

***
I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors. 

I have a Patreon page. I hope you will consider supporting this blog: https://www.patreon.com/unstableorbit

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized