Distractions

I just read a great post on Awake at the Wheel from back in November called “Too Tired to Succeed.” Basically, it’s another reminder of why we need to take care of ourselves physically and mentally in order to tackle daily challenges and pursuits with success.

And extra motivation for me to head to bed in a few minutes.

I want to bring it up in this forum, though, because I’ve inadvertantly taken on some extra distractions that have caused me to leave some important projects in the dust. Like Perch. And getting ready for Christmas. And …ugh… homework.

I’ve noticed that my tolerance of these distractions has made me irritable overall, because I haven’t made progress on the goals that are important to me. I’ve been creatively frustrated because I haven’t maintained the structure I need that allows me to be creative. 

So for the last couple of nights, I’ve been working hard to have dinner done early, the dogs fed early, and everyone asleep or settled for the night by about 9:00 p.m, 10:00 at the latest. This has given me an hour or two to capture a few creative thoughts, develop some brainstorming mind maps, do some studying, writing, and research, and just maybe in the next night or two even paint my toenails. It’s extra work on the front end, but the payoff is worth it.

My next goal is to actually get my butt out of bed early and master walking the dogs in the morning. They need the exercise (really, seriously), and so do I. If for no other reason, if it’s true that aerobic exercise grows brain cells responsible for executive function, then I should have started doing this years ago.