In these (semi-regular) posts, I share five things.
Loves, hates, ideas I’m pondering, places I’m supporting, whatever.
This week is quarantine focused, since we’re in lockdown due to COVID19. Stay safe, guys!
Here we go:
PODCAST I WAS INTERVIEWED ON:
I was delighted to return to Rachael Herron’s How Do You Write podcast last week, talking about time management for writers during a crisis.
I love Rachael and her contribution to the author space, and I also really enjoy her fiction writing, so it was really good to catch up with her and hopefully help people work through what they should be trying to juggle during the current global pandemic.
TENDENCY I’M FIGHTING:
I’m an overfunctioner. When things get hard, I struggle with the emotions for a short period and then I turn to action mode. That might sound like a great way to respond, and in some ways it is, but my tendency to over function is strong.
Right now, I’m among the people who haven’t gained extra time during the crisis. I’m managing my businesses without childcare and with a spouse who also needs to work. I have more to do and less time to do it, and yet that voice in my head keeps popping up and telling me to do more.
What specifically? I want to do more with this site, be more vocal and share more. I want to start a Youtube channel sharing quick videos with tips. I want to create more products and services for people around time management and the other things I’m passionate about.
For sure, I will do those things, but I have to keep reminding myself that this may not be the most realistic time to add more on to my plate.
BOOK I’M READING:
More Myself by Alicia Keys.
What can I say, if Brene Brown tells me to buy it, I buy it!
I’ve only just started it but so far it’s a really good read, and I wouldn’t say I was a particular fan of Alicia Keys before reading it. Actually, I say I’m not a particular fan but as I write this, several of her songs jump into my head that I like.
IDEA I’M CONSIDERING:
The power of our minds to distract us.
I’ve been spending a reasonable chunk of time each day considering whether to buy a hanging chair for the garden. I walk past a house each day that has one on the back garden and it looks great. That started the whole thing off, maybe a fortnight ago.
Since then, each day I’ve considered whether it’s foolish to buy a hanging chair during the current economic climate, how easy it would be to put it together, where it would go in the garden, whether to order it in single, double or triple size. I’ve added it (in double size) to my online cart and each day I almost click Buy.
And the whole thing fascinates me, because it’s such an obvious example of my mind finding something easy and within my control to consider in a time when the whole world is out of control. I can’t cure Coronavirus, I can’t control whether my business survives this time, I can’t control when my daughter returns to school… but I can control whether I buy this hanging chair or not.
Having something to ruminate over makes me feel as if I’m being productive and efficient, and that’s an important way for my personality type to deal with crisis.
[Also, I firmly believe that in situations like this, where it takes so long to make a decision, it’s often because neither option is bad (or, sometimes, because both are terrible). If one option was bad, there’d be no decision to make – or there would be and it would be made instantly. And so, really, I could make either decision – to buy or not to buy – and neither would be wrong.]
COVID19 SURVIVAL STRATEGY:
As we round out Week 4 of lockdown here in England, it’s been a bumpy few days.
The first week was rough, too, and then we settled down and found a rhythm. That rhythm is still working okay, but I think our household has had enough now. Whatever novelty there was in the lockdown has gone and we’ve all struggled the last few days.
I’ve noticed an interesting thing about myself over the last year or so – whenever I’m growing anxious, I become really clumsy. It’s like my co-ordination is the first thing to go. Before I’ve even realised I feel anxious, I’ll find that I can’t hit the keys to type out a message on my phone. I’ll drop things and bang into doors. I’ve been doing all of those things the last few days, and I’ve recognised what it means and tried to go easy on myself.
I’ve shed tears and so has my daughter. There have been arguments and misunderstandings and more sleep. One night I put my daughter to bed at around 8pm and went straight to bed myself. I listened to the Wayne Dyer meditation I like (I Am That I Am) and fell asleep.
I’m trying to take each day, or each moment, as it comes and not over-examine any particular feelings. It’s a rollercoaster and all I can do is recognise how I feel and take care of myself. I’m drinking my water every day, getting out to walk the dog, and still avoiding the news. I’ve been avoiding the group chats where people are sharing funny lockdown memes, because I haven’t been in a place to join in the laughter.
I also trust that this will pass and I’ll get back to feeling more accepting of the situation. And then I’ll probably struggle again.
I hope you’re hanging in there during this time.
Katie x
