“Off the Clock” by Laura Vanderkam

June 20, 2021

A little daily reflection #

June 20, 2021

“You can also tend your garden by looking backward. At night, take a few moments to write a daily reflection in a journal. Answer a few questions:

• What did I like most about today?
• What would I like to have spent more time doing?
• What would I like to have spent less time doing?
• How can I make that happen?”

— “Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done” by Laura Vanderkam

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The thing I liked most about today was recognizing it wasn’t going well, knowing there was plenty of time left, and putting the effort in to turn the day around. It’ll be good to know that as long as there’s 1–2 hours to work with, it’s enough time for some mind work and body work.

What I would have liked to spend more time doing… I just wish I was more present in the middle of the day. I was so frustrated with myself from a wasted work session. I’d love to get to where that kind of thing would only mess up, say, the 10 minutes following it instead of the next few hours.

I would’ve liked to spend less time… wasting time with wasted movement. Setting a timer was a good idea. Not having something clear to make was a bad idea. I’ve written more on my phone sitting outside on a break from this hike than I did during that time block. There are a few different factors: I can multitask really well on a MacBook. Aka I can’t actually get anything done recently on my MacBook.

I start editing a video then open a podcast clip then start rendering something then remember I had something rendered from the day before that I need to publish so I open WordPress and then think I have a quick post I can write but I’ll start with a visual so I turn on my iPad but I want to capture the sawdust so I set my overhead camera up so I…

I started writing that paragraph as an exaggeration but then realized it was pretty much what happened earlier today.

I can have more finished sessions by writing in the editor (and maybe in the middle of a hike) This combo seems to be working. Take a hike, listen to some stuff on the way. Sit at the top and use my writing Shortcut:

• Turn a 12 minute timer on
• Turn a Spotify writing playlist
• Turn on Dark Noise for coffeehouse sounds
• Open Drafts

Then I grab a highlight and type up some thoughts. I need to steer it to have fewer examples of myself and more examples from other sources. But it’s a start.

If I just kept this practice going I could realistically do a post a day and get some cardio in all in an hour.

Not bad!

(Now just to actually do it…)