4 x 15
I am facing a challenge...and you get to help me out with it! I am going through a time of transition right now with a new job and schedule. I'm used to working all hours of the day and night and for long stretches at a time. But there always was a flow to it, a schedule I could more or less count on. The current job I'm in offers much more freedom from a scheduling standpoint, but more unpredictability of actual working hours. As a forensic nurse examiner, I take call. This means that I agree to be readily available for a certain amount of time, and will handle all cases that present during that time. We service 4 different hospitals spread around the county, and so it ends up that I either am working all night long racing around to one or more facilities, or I wind up with 2-4 cases at the same place, or no cases at all and I can cozy up to The Husband and slumber all night long. This latter presentation is extremely rare though.
The end result is, it's hard to prepare before a shift. Do I sneak in a late afternoon nap and risk staring up at the ceiling most of the night waiting for the pager to go off? Or do I power through an unfoldingingly (my blog...my word) busy 15 hour night and crash at 0800 the next morning when I finally get home? Either prospect leaves me staring at a wall the next day in an absolute stupor. My home productivity is stilted, my mental capacity is shot.
SO - as I was just now trying to catch a nap from a long night last night, my brain kicked around a few solutions. I came up with one that just might work and wanted to share it with you!
It has long been a personal fact for me that I can get more accomplished in a quick push of productivity than a long drawn out project. It also requires less mental buy-in when that is already in short supply. Here is my plan.
I am going to dedicate one committed hour a day to being productive. One hour. Sixty minutes. Can you even handle the loveliness of that idea? I'm going to break up that hour in 15 minute increments and set a timer.
Here's how it will break down. The first 15 minutes will be dedicated to worship and spiritual growth. Somehow I know that it won't be necessary to set a timer for this one. God has a way of energizing me and carrying me through much longer times spent in fellowship with him and I don't think a time constraint is warranted for this snippet. But saying that He is my first 15 guarantees that I will make time for our relationship. And since He will be my first 15, I know he will help me power through the other 45! :) I love my God!!
My second 15 will be dedicated to physical fitness and restoration. This will likely be a tabata (Goggle it) or HIIT workout. A blitz on the rowing machine, a quick Crossfit workout, a date with the jump rope in the brisk winter air, etc. This will wake me up and help me make fitness a continued priority.
The 3rd 15 will be dedicated to home maintenance. A quick run through of the house, tidying, making lists of things I really need to get done on my next fully rested day - they DO happen - and clearing my mind by doing something routine that only requires muscle memory.
The final 15 will be working on something that I've been meaning to get to for awhile. I will keep a running list of 15-minute projects to chew away at and work on it steadily. Simple non-mental tasks like cleaning out a drawer or closet, boxing items up to take to Goodwill, dusting all the floorboards, vacuuming my hot water heater, etc....lol This last 15 will help me feel like even on my zombiest of days, I still am making progress at more than just maintenance.
It's important mentally to keep a timer going for these increments (all except the first of course.) I need that reassurance that I can push myself through the current 15 because there is a definite end in sight.
Whaddya think? I'm excited about it! This plan will help me on the days where I am way too tired to think, but don't want to feel like I just wasted a day being tired. I will get used to this new schedule and how I need to choose my days on duty. It's all part of growth during this phase of my journey. It's a simple plan that I can stick with. So far today I already have done the first two segments so I'm well on my way!
If you read this and have suggestions, I would LOVE to hear from you in the comments section at the bottom of the page. You can also follow my blog and add me to your google circle and email me that way. I love hearing about how people manage their circumstances and the solutions they find. :) Okay - I'm off to go clean something.
Make it a GREAT day!
(photo courtesy of Pinterest)
The end result is, it's hard to prepare before a shift. Do I sneak in a late afternoon nap and risk staring up at the ceiling most of the night waiting for the pager to go off? Or do I power through an unfoldingingly (my blog...my word) busy 15 hour night and crash at 0800 the next morning when I finally get home? Either prospect leaves me staring at a wall the next day in an absolute stupor. My home productivity is stilted, my mental capacity is shot.
SO - as I was just now trying to catch a nap from a long night last night, my brain kicked around a few solutions. I came up with one that just might work and wanted to share it with you!
It has long been a personal fact for me that I can get more accomplished in a quick push of productivity than a long drawn out project. It also requires less mental buy-in when that is already in short supply. Here is my plan.
I am going to dedicate one committed hour a day to being productive. One hour. Sixty minutes. Can you even handle the loveliness of that idea? I'm going to break up that hour in 15 minute increments and set a timer.
Here's how it will break down. The first 15 minutes will be dedicated to worship and spiritual growth. Somehow I know that it won't be necessary to set a timer for this one. God has a way of energizing me and carrying me through much longer times spent in fellowship with him and I don't think a time constraint is warranted for this snippet. But saying that He is my first 15 guarantees that I will make time for our relationship. And since He will be my first 15, I know he will help me power through the other 45! :) I love my God!!
My second 15 will be dedicated to physical fitness and restoration. This will likely be a tabata (Goggle it) or HIIT workout. A blitz on the rowing machine, a quick Crossfit workout, a date with the jump rope in the brisk winter air, etc. This will wake me up and help me make fitness a continued priority.
The 3rd 15 will be dedicated to home maintenance. A quick run through of the house, tidying, making lists of things I really need to get done on my next fully rested day - they DO happen - and clearing my mind by doing something routine that only requires muscle memory.
The final 15 will be working on something that I've been meaning to get to for awhile. I will keep a running list of 15-minute projects to chew away at and work on it steadily. Simple non-mental tasks like cleaning out a drawer or closet, boxing items up to take to Goodwill, dusting all the floorboards, vacuuming my hot water heater, etc....lol This last 15 will help me feel like even on my zombiest of days, I still am making progress at more than just maintenance.
It's important mentally to keep a timer going for these increments (all except the first of course.) I need that reassurance that I can push myself through the current 15 because there is a definite end in sight.
Whaddya think? I'm excited about it! This plan will help me on the days where I am way too tired to think, but don't want to feel like I just wasted a day being tired. I will get used to this new schedule and how I need to choose my days on duty. It's all part of growth during this phase of my journey. It's a simple plan that I can stick with. So far today I already have done the first two segments so I'm well on my way!
If you read this and have suggestions, I would LOVE to hear from you in the comments section at the bottom of the page. You can also follow my blog and add me to your google circle and email me that way. I love hearing about how people manage their circumstances and the solutions they find. :) Okay - I'm off to go clean something.
Make it a GREAT day!
(photo courtesy of Pinterest)
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