A couple short thoughts for today:
1: I’m finding a lot of value in removing apps from my phone when I close them. I no longer use Twitter or Facebook, but I keep Instagram around because it doesn’t have the same negative effect on me. HOWEVER: that doesn’t mean it’s a net positive. In fact, Instagram is too good. I will scroll funny standup skits, funny pranks, eagles catching fish, “dad content,” etc. for too long. So what I’ve started doing is, when I close Instagram, I remove the app. That way, if I want to sign back on, it’s a slightly inconvenient process. Usually, that minor inconvenience is enough to make me decide not to do it at all.
2: Started waking up at 4am. As some of you know, I take care of my kid during the weekdays, from the hours of 7am to 5:30pm. For the past several months I’ve been stuck in a loop, where I wake up at 7, and immediately get thrown into “the dad vortex,” playing with him, talking to him, making him food, going to the park, running errands, cleaning messes, etc. I read somewhere that being a stay-at-home parent is like a 90-hour job. That sounds about right.
Anyway, I found that after I pick my wife up from work, go home, make (or order) dinner, and get everyone all settled in for the evening, I’m left with an overwhelming number of things to do. Should I work on a novel? Should I edit the manuscripts I have in my queue for money (the bills loom…)? Should I read a novel for fun? Or should I say “fuck it” and relax?
I choose to relax. And you know what? I’m not sorry about that. I need some wind-down time at the end of the day. Burnout comes from having too many things to do all at once. It’s not overwork, it’s overwhelm.
Waking up at 4am has been hard, but it gives me three hours to write, work on this blog, finish up editing podcasts, etc. Then, I can approach the day with my son with the sensation that I’m still moving in a positive direction. Then, in the evening, I edit about 20,000 words for money (which takes a couple hours). Then it’s bedtime. Last night I fell asleep at 10:30pm…still working on that.
I hope your day is great!
Broken River Blog 