Career inspirations
Reading a post on A cup of Joe I found some words that are worth remembering for me. And maybe worth sometimes to read again :)Take aways:
- find a schedule that works for you, plan your day according to it, make new and memorable things on weekends; sometimes you just need a break
- Sometimes you have to get rid of good things in your life in order to make room for the best things.
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Find a schedule that works for you: Take note of the times you feel sharpest each day, when you want to crawl under the covers and take a nap, and when you're the most stressed about everything, including your place in the world.
For me, a clear pattern has emerged over the years: I can write in the morning, I'm useless at crafting sentences after 1:30pm. I'm great at cooking in the afternoon. In fact, if I'm not deeply immersed in a cooking project at 4pm, I am embarrassingly likely to fall asleep on the sofa, especially now that I'm six-months pregnant. I really try not to work—also, it's nearly impossible—between 5 and 8pm so we can have dinner and some family time before putting the kid to bed, but I'll often get a few things done between 8 and 9. More than an hour of work, however, and I start getting tired and cranky and a swarm of self-doubt sets in. If you find yourself in this place, close the laptop. This is what making popcorn and binging on House of Cards is for. Or watch a comedy. I find it impossible to stay focused on my anxiety-du-jour while laughing over Knocked Up for the I-don't-even-want-to-admit-it-number of time. (P.S. If you're kid-free and live in a city, my advice would be to leave the apartment and go somewhere, preferably a place with cocktails. And to please have one for me.)
Once you have a schedule, protect it.
I also refuse to work on the weekend unless absolutely avoidable. If I don't get downtime, if I don't get out of the city or try new things at least a day a week, how am I going to get back to it on Monday feeling like I have something to offer? So, this weekend we introduced the kid to Peruvian chicken and the wonders of fried yuca and sweet plantains on Saturday. And we went to the aquarium in Norwalk on Sunday, just for something new to do.
For me, a clear pattern has emerged over the years: I can write in the morning, I'm useless at crafting sentences after 1:30pm. I'm great at cooking in the afternoon. In fact, if I'm not deeply immersed in a cooking project at 4pm, I am embarrassingly likely to fall asleep on the sofa, especially now that I'm six-months pregnant. I really try not to work—also, it's nearly impossible—between 5 and 8pm so we can have dinner and some family time before putting the kid to bed, but I'll often get a few things done between 8 and 9. More than an hour of work, however, and I start getting tired and cranky and a swarm of self-doubt sets in. If you find yourself in this place, close the laptop. This is what making popcorn and binging on House of Cards is for. Or watch a comedy. I find it impossible to stay focused on my anxiety-du-jour while laughing over Knocked Up for the I-don't-even-want-to-admit-it-number of time. (P.S. If you're kid-free and live in a city, my advice would be to leave the apartment and go somewhere, preferably a place with cocktails. And to please have one for me.)
Once you have a schedule, protect it.
I also refuse to work on the weekend unless absolutely avoidable. If I don't get downtime, if I don't get out of the city or try new things at least a day a week, how am I going to get back to it on Monday feeling like I have something to offer? So, this weekend we introduced the kid to Peruvian chicken and the wonders of fried yuca and sweet plantains on Saturday. And we went to the aquarium in Norwalk on Sunday, just for something new to do.
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Once a year (or whenever something new comes up—new baby, new job, illness, move...) pretend your life is an overflowing closet. In order to really get it organized, you can't just remove one or two things here or there. You have to take everything out and then one by one put the most important things back in. When you get to a point where it feels good—close to full, but not crowded or crammed—stop. Get rid of everything else. Sometimes you have to get rid of good things in your life in order to make room for the best things.
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