Week 23/2022: Catching my breath

Week of 6 June 2022

Catching my breath

This was a week where some stuff happened to other people, work went on and it was really cold.

It was another week where I had to lower my expectations of what I could get done because I didn’t feel like I had the bandwidth to do anything other than deal with things as they happened.

Breathe.

What did I want to do this week?

• Finish assignment 4A and submit it
• Complete the learning session for assignment 4B
• Go to the optometrist and get my new glasses fitted

Did I do it?

I completed and submitted Part A of the TAFE the assignment (thing 8) but, unfortunately, due to my case study learner’s illness, I wasn’t able to complete part B. It’s due on Monday and I’ve had to ask for an extension. I’m disappointed because I’m so close to finishing the course but I can’t control what happens to other people. I’m going to have to be patient.

I finally made a decision on my new glasses and I went in on Friday to get everything measured and fitted. That’s one less thing to worry about.

I listened to an INTP productivity workshop on the weekend, where one of the other participants talked about making an “instruction manual” for themselves. They way they talked about it, it sounded like my “Deep Work” handbook (thing 12). I like the term “instruction manual” better, and I think that better describes what it’s about. It’s not just about things I need to do to be able to do deep, focused work, so that’s what I’m going to call it.

22 for 2022 summary

• Things completed to date: 5 (10, 11, 13, 18, 22)
• Things completed this week: 0
• Things I worked on this week: 2: (8, 12, 21)
• Things in progress: 4 (1, 8, 12, 21)
• Things not started: 13 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20)

What do I want to do next week?

I need to

• Finish assignment 4B and submit it (thing 8)
• Work on assignment 4C (the last one!)
• Revisit the daily pause blog series and finish the final post for that series (Spoiler: by the time I posted, this, I’d already written that post.)
• Work on my instruction manual (thing 12)
• Work on the 4000 Weeks blog post (also thing 12)
• Take photos of the windows
• Brainstorm activities for Mindspot Week 4 (thing 1)

What do I want to pay attention to next week?

As I said in my last post about the daily pause and the dreaded phone, I want to make sure I don’t check my phone, or do anything on my phone, at every meal, whether or not anyone else is at the table with me. It feels like I have a free pass to do whatever I want at the table when no one else is there when, really, eating a meal is a perfect time to unplug, pause and pay attention to what I’m doing.

Weekly summary

What was the best thing about this week?

After a busy week doing things for and with other people, having the weekend at home was the best thing, even if the weather was woeful and I didn’t go out for a walk, or for any other reason, the entire weekend.

What I’m reading this week

• American Gods by Neil Gaiman
• Truths from an Unreliable Witness by Fiona O’Loughlin

Habit tracker

• Days I went for a walk in the morning (Goal = 7): 3
• Days I did controlled breathing (Goal = 7): 7
• Days I did my morning planning routine at work (Goal = 5): 5
• Days I did my post-work pack up routine (Goal = 5): 3
• Finish work by 5.30 (Goal = 5): 5
• Days I worked on my art (Goal = 2): 4
• Days I read a book (Goal = 7): 7
• Days I went for a walk or did other physical activity in the afternoon (Goal = 5): 2
• Days I shut my computer down before 9.30 (Goal = 6): 5
• Weekly review at work: Yes
• Weekly review at home: Yes