If you are looking to stop wasting time in your day, block scheduling can seem like a really good idea. I tried it for a few weeks, and I have found that it has pros and cons.
What is Block Scheduling?
Block scheduling is when you take the free time on your calendar and fill that time with intended focus and/or tasks.
As a proponent of deliberate living, this seemed like a very good thing: sit down once a week and choose what I will be doing with my non-structured time. I hoped that it would eliminate wasted time that I could be doing something productive. I also hoped that it would allow me to be more deliberate in how I was spending my time.
Today we will talk about deliberate living: what it is, why it isn't the same as "intentional living" and what it means. Support me at Patreon: You can find all the episodes over at Patreon.
I am a terrible gardener. But I do try. Every year. And every year I have less than stellar results. I sat down and tried to pinpoint the causes of my many failures. I made a list, and realized that they apply to personal development as well.
It's one thing to make deliberate choices when the choices are easy. But what can you do when there are too many to choose from and they all need to be done yesterday? What do you do when you're overwhelmed?
Overwhelm is a common problem and can stop people from doing anything. After all, why even start if you can't possibly finish?
I'm looking at a perfect storm of a week: meetings Tuesday through Friday, along with a full task list. Here are the steps I took to make this week do-able.
For many years I have been on a media fast. I started about 8 years ago, when I realized that I was shouting at the radio on my way to work, and my anger and stress levels were constantly elevated.
So I took a break. I didn't listen to the news, I didn't watch the news, I didn't read the newspaper (except for the comics), and I didn't surf for the news.
But recently that changed.
Early January saw me breaking a long media fast. I descended quickly into doomscrolling and was desperate to get my life back. Enter Freedom.
There are experts everywhere. Some are self-proclaimed, some lauded by others. But before we give credence to their words, we really owe it to ourselves to begin by checking out the expert's credentials.
How much can you trust your "expert"? How much can a person teach you? Do they have any experience in what they are teaching? All valuable questions.
Too many people talk about living a balanced life, as if life can be slotted into the chunks of a pie graph. The truth is, we don't balance, not as people typically think.
In fact, it's not about doing more, but rather being deliberate about what you do, and letting the rest go.
Not all relationships are created equal. Some are great, supportive relationships, while others will suck the life right out of you.
After a round of social isolation, you are probably aware of the benefits and drawbacks of your various relationships. So today we will consider the last phase of our editing life series: relationships. As we emerge out of isolation and choose to restructure our lives, we can choose which relationships to nurture and which to let go of. It's time to look at editing relationships.