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thought for the day
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The mobile devices today add to the problem - we are constantly available to anyone who wishes to contact us. All sorts of pings and buzzes remind us we should check what's the matter and what we should do now.
Try putting your phone / computer to a mode where it doesn't try to get your attention all the time. Off with the alarms and notices. Decide when you will look at the emails, the messages, the projects. Put these in your calendar and stick to your decision.
And then the hard part - distance yourself from your intelligent devices. Put them or yourself in another room / place entirely. Read a book. Do yoga. Take a nap.
And plan for times when you don't do anything. Free hours just for yourself. Don't let work seep into those hours. It is important you really put these in your calendar so that your work-oriented brain takes it more seriously (as it probably is addicted to your calendar and to-do-lists).
You don't have to take all the extra work offered to you.
Start considering free time as a form of money, if that helps. You might even put a little sum aside every time you manage to have an unplanned hour and reward yourself by using that money to something you love. Or use some other reward-system. Stickers in your calendar? A big X drawn on your wall calendar when you gave time to yourself? Just make it as important as work in your calendar.
It may be a bit difficult at first, not to be productive all the time, but keep on keeping on. One day you notice the "should-do-voice" in your mind isn't as loud as it used to be. Maybe one day it shuts up completely during your free time. (And if it doesn't show signs of giving up, do the old trick of jotting down the tasks it tries to bring to your attention and not looking at that thing until your free time ends. This assures that little hysterical voice that you have taken note - literally - and will return to the matter later. And do use old fashioned pen and paper for this - it's dangerous to take your phone in your hands or you might find yourself checking the social media and other time-sucks.)
So, now go ahead take your calendar and make a date with free time.
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Daily quote
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The woman turned to the book on the podium and extended her hand. Her fingers hovered above its cracked leather-covered wooden surface without touching it. Within the covers, odd-sized pages of papyrus, parchment and even metal were tied loosely together, giving the effect of a sorcerer's scrap book. The cover was embossed with strange gilded markings and the stones that decorated it were all black. Ornate protective metal pieces gleamed at each corner. One piece of ancient papyrus jutted out between the covers just far enough to show some writing, but she couldn't see enough of the words to read them. She took hold of the edge, but before she could yank it out there was an electric snap and sparks burned her fingers. Shaking her hand, she turned away. - Leena Maria / Space Witches 1 / The Book of Witches |
I sell my books directly too - the ebooks are cheap to buy and the big e-stores don't share much to the author. So I have downloaded my ebooks to Payhip - they don't take commission and I get more to pay for my editor, proofreader and cover designer. All of whom are one-woman businesses themselves. |
If you prefer to write a short happy note each day, I have created planners for this effect. You can write your daily happiness in the squares of the weekly spread - and plan future happiness using the monthly pages. There are even happy (repositionable) stickers included in the planner.
You are welcome to read these posts here on my website. If, however, you'd like to receive them into your email daily, click the link below.
Here's the link to the subscription page of this Daily Happiness Journal post
June 2020#49 June 1st 2020 Experiences vs Things / Turquoise Metal #50 June 2nd 2020 Together / Lake Reflection #51 June 3rd 2020 More Time / Yarn #52 June 4th 2020 Social Media / Pretty Petals #53 June 5th 2020 Meditate / Red and White Tulips #54 June 8th 2020 Gratitude Journal / Pier on a Forest Pond #55 June 9th 2020 The Things You Love / Ladder Against an Old Oak #56 June 10th 2020 Sleep / Water Play #57 June 11th 2020 Respect / Trees in a Field #58 June 12th 2020 Humour / Shadow Path / Writing News: The First Draft of Space Witches 3 is ready #59 June 15th 2020 Desiderata / Happy Mummy #60 June 16th Supposing a tree fell down / Red Wall #61 June 17th 2020 Abandoning / Pink Bike #62 June 18th 2020 Being Right / Oranges #63 June 22nd 2020 Violence / Pink Heart #64 June 23rd 2020 Stuck / Old Door #65 June 24th 2020 Dignity / Violets and Daisies / Writing News: Going Through Characters #66 June 25th 2020 Sleeping Peacefully in a Storm / Decorative Angel #67 June 26th 2020 Being Right / Reading by the Sea # 68 June 27th Responsibility and Trust / Orange, Yellow and Green |
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