I have been involved with my field site, the Bloomington Community Orchard, for years, but this is the first summer where attendance at work & learn days, when their volunteers gather to do site maintenance, has been my top priority. This week, when temperatures hovered around 90 degrees Fahrenheit with oppressive humidity, I struggled to claw my way back out of the house & over to the Orchard. Within minutes, my body was tired. I was flailing & fading. My back ached, & the fabric of my shirt clung to it, heavy with sweat & humidity.
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In continuing the theme from my last post, I've been dedicating myself to this time as a way to add a sense of accomplishment right into the start of my day--increasing the odds that I'll successfully manage stress & enjoy my day. The time isn't always incredible productive... but I always have a plan. And I've finally found a system to stay motivated that works for me. Here's what's been helping, in case you're looking for some new tools.
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I've been wrapped up in the busyness. I've punted my "real life" down the road. After starting a full-time job in December and realizing that it will now be years before I wrap up my dissertation--that I'm on a slower, more incremental timeline where the graduate student aspect of my identity gets whatever scraps are left over in my day--I knew that I couldn't keep waiting. I'm taking steps to ensure that I'm living my life--the live I'm enthusiastic & passionate about--now. I've joined a writing group, signed my family up as members of the local children's science museum, started cooking again, and have been better at project management. I've found that monotasking really does help me be calmer & more productive. I've even enrolled in a mindful parenting course through work & am meditating for four minutes a day. Just like my dissertation, I'm carving out this life slowly, incrementally, patiently.
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