Breaking habits & routines

[SweetArse]

Wow, how does it get the little mitts on?

[wonki wonki]

Originally posted by slackerbot
i think you should be glad that no two days are alike. daily routines get boring. after a while, you'll want to break out of the routine.

what exactly is preventing you from being productive? is it spontaneous distractions? is it lack of interest in your work? or too much work? can you give examples?

I'm not unproductive, nor do I dislike my work. It just comes in great spurts. Trust me, I appreciate the fact that that is not a problem in my line of work. Typically, I may have 3-4 days of barely-sleeping mad frenzy of creativity and productivity, then I recover for a few days. There are some longer cycles, too, where I may not get much done for weeks at a time, then a sudden burst.

I'm in a temporary situation where consistent output would really be of benefit, so having a regular schedule where certain blocks of time are set aside sounds good for what I need. Just wondering what little things others do to help them get in a groove.

The work never ends, and I have ideas bouncing around my head at all hours of the day and night, which I don't mind. Also, I've never had a regular "job" where I was expected to show up from x am to x pm, and take lunch at noon, etc., so no idea what that's even like. In college I seldom went to class, except for exams. Not sure what other background info you're looking for. I cram well, especially under pressure. I've never not gotten something done that was supposed to get done.

[wonki wonki]

Originally posted by fmstlr
I put my dick on the other side

Aw hells no. It's on the left side, and it stays on the left side!

[kamenriderv3]

take a class and attend regularly, even if you don't want to. also be punctual and don't leave early.

maybe a martial arts school or arts & craft course?

[wonki wonki]

^Good suggestions, though my time will be limited... I've definitely noticed that when I impose something regular on my schedule like a class or even playing pick-up soccer every day at 5pm, it really helps me smooth out the rest of my day.

I'm taking baby steps. If I can get myself into a regular sleeping and eating schedule (at least two meals a day, and at least seven hours of sleep every day) it will be a huge coup!

[kamenriderv3]

do you skip breakfast?

[wonki wonki]

... and lunch, and dinner, sometimes. It's terrible. I bet you're going to tell me to have breakfast everyday?

[kamenriderv3]

it would be good. even if its just a snack plus a healthy drink.

an exercise routine at home would be helpful. not only the schedule aspect but it would affect your eating and sleep, for the better hopefully.

i find that regular physical routines are a good option for time off and away from work.

maybe add jogging later.

[tangent23]

Originally posted by wonki wonki
I cram well,

special korean gene

[slackerbot]

i hate using this buzzword, but maybe you should create an action list. create a daily and/or weekly schedule of tasks you want to do. determine the start time, duration, and deadline. you can create a schedule with iCal or just keep it simple with a pocket notepad/Moleskine.

if you want to maintain your cramming style, you can always set daily tasks to be due at the end of the day. this will let you be more flexible on how much time you spend on each task, just as long as you complete everything by X o' clock.

[.neur0nster.]

There is something I do when I am trying to fall asleep. I don't like to do it and I don't want to do it, but I feel like I need to; I start out trying to sleep on my left side. Then I switch to my right side. Then I switch to my stomach. Then I switch to my left side again and then finally my stomach. I have no idea why my mind/body wants to do this.

[.neur0nster.]

Oh yeah...also, my boyfriend says I have a bad habit of leaving my cereal bowls out with milk still in them. xD

[golivar]

Originally posted by slackerbot
i hate using this buzzword, but maybe you should create an action list. create a daily and/or weekly schedule of tasks you want to do. determine the start time, duration, and deadline. you can create a schedule with iCal or just keep it simple with a pocket notepad/Moleskine.

if you want to maintain your cramming style, you can always set daily tasks to be due at the end of the day. this will let you be more flexible on how much time you spend on each task, just as long as you complete everything by X o' clock.

don't forget to turn in your TPS reports

you got the memo, didn't you?

[golivar]

Originally posted by wonki wonki


I'm not unproductive, nor do I dislike my work. It just comes in great spurts. Trust me, I appreciate the fact that that is not a problem in my line of work. Typically, I may have 3-4 days of barely-sleeping mad frenzy of creativity and productivity, then I recover for a few days. There are some longer cycles, too, where I may not get much done for weeks at a time, then a sudden burst.

I'm in a temporary situation where consistent output would really be of benefit, so having a regular schedule where certain blocks of time are set aside sounds good for what I need. Just wondering what little things others do to help them get in a groove.

The work never ends, and I have ideas bouncing around my head at all hours of the day and night, which I don't mind. Also, I've never had a regular "job" where I was expected to show up from x am to x pm, and take lunch at noon, etc., so no idea what that's even like. In college I seldom went to class, except for exams. Not sure what other background info you're looking for. I cram well, especially under pressure. I've never not gotten something done that was supposed to get done.

your schedule sounds a lot like mine, actually. there are some periods where i'll sit around for 3 or 4 days doing nothing, but then i'll end up working for 7 or 8 days straight. it's kind of unpredictable. i like it, though; in a way it keeps life from becoming a drag. my days and weeks aren't stifled by routines, and that keeps me from dreading work. i had a couple of 9-5 office jobs for about 3 years, and after a while it felt like the world was just beating me over the head.

but in general, i do agree that a completely unstructured schedule does get old, so i try to map out things for me to do on my non-working days, just to have some kind of stability. i usually try to go grocery shopping around the same time every week, i plan out when i will run certain errands, i try to go to the gym on a regular schedule, etc. i set aside time to meet friends for lunch, stuff like that.

[wonki wonki]

A few days into trying to be a bit more regular... I didn't set any unreasonable goals for myself. I'd say I'm at about 70% on meeting my expectation, but I'm already feeling more consistently productive.

Hey golivar, sounds like we both know enough about the unfettered lifestyle to be familiar with its downsides... Having a few anchors throughout the week is a great tip.