However, there is finally a mitigating factor that I've started working into my life. Previously, at the end of the day, or during a weekend, I felt like I needed a break from work. I was so exhausted that I just couldn't get myself to stomach working straight through the weekend as well.
Currently, I'm working (successfully!) on re-framing the weekend and evening work I have to do, as a game. It's my productivity and growth game. It feels good, to get stuff done. So I've kind of made a game of it. It stops being a drag and becomes a puzzle or challenge like in the games I love so much.
I was just listening to/watching a video/podcast from one of my favorite self-improvement guys, and he mentioned that one of the big differentiators between people who are happy and those who are not, is the ability to put your attention where you want it, when you want it. Of course, there is a genetic and environmental element to people's ability to do this, but the good news is it is also very trainable. I'm having fun training it, putting my attention on the work that needs doing.
I'm not sure if you've noticed this, but it's usually the getting started that is the hardest part of chores and work and stuff we're procrastinating. Once we're up and rolling, it's not such a big deal. It's rarely as bad as we're vaguely imagining it to be. That also helps me get started on the work. But the turning it into a game is the most powerful re-framing for me, since I like to use games as a relaxation and rejuvenation activity. Thus, doing different work does end up being rest for me.
I also read that learning something new is more rejuvenating that the traditional activities we associate with "taking a break" on the weekends, like watching TV or just 'hanging out.' Perhaps I'm missing some of the details of that study, when you look at the science it's rarely as clear cut and impressive as the self-help-guru's make it sound, but still, I find that very interesting.
My next step, I think, is getting better at prioritizing which to-do's I'm doing, more rigorously. Right now, I tend to grab them seemingly at random, unless there are some that are time sensitive. But even among the non-time-sensitive one's, I think there are some that will give me more bang for my buck in the long run. I sometimes sit down and write out what I think those are, before getting to work, so I suppose I am already starting to implement that, but especially at the end of the day or when I'm trying to do something productive over the weekend, I tend to default to easier to-do's. Something that will give me a quick win, that I can feel good about completing and immediately see the results of. I don't think that's a bad thing. You can't always be doing the most difficult things, sometimes you have to match your energy and brain-power to the tasks your doing. I like to start off with he most difficult things, and then switch over to easier things, once it's the end of the day and my brain is less sharp.
There is a whole other discussion, about deep work, and how we can only do about 4, maybe 6 hours of really intense work in a day, that's tied in with the highest performing people, but that's a talk for another day. in any case, writing this blog itself was one of those 'matching the task to how I'm feeling' choices. I just felt the urge to write, so I let myself switch to that task. It feels a bit like a luxury, but since it's the weekend and my time is my own, I thought I'd treat myself.
I'm entertained that I've made some work into a 'treat' for myself. Again, framing and re-framing things is a powerful tool. Your perspective has the power to totally alter your experience of the very same situation. It's unfortunate that so few people know how to really use this tool.
This makes me think of the topic for my next blog post. Perhaps I'll go write into it.
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