Why You Need to Be Your Own Data Analyst: Mastering on the Art of Doing Nothing
Last weekend, I was doing one of my favourite things: Going to the bookstores and hunting the books that I would find interesting. I came across a book, and I have turned its pages.
I saw the title of a chapter and boom! The title was something that I am really bad about! It was something that I always criticize myself and look at other people and envy them who seems an expert on it.
The title was: The Art of Doing Nothing.
Without hesitation, I found myself while buying the book. So, this article is inspired by the book Working Hard, Hardly Working by Grace Beverley.
According to the book, stepping back, resting and “doing nothing” is another form of self-care.
The following sentence is one of my highlighted sentences.
We are more like an electric car than a petrol one. We cannot be refuelled instantly and off we go again; we need to spend time recharging before we hit that “Empty” mark in order to perform at our best.
Unfortunately, there are some accepted forms of “doing nothing”. If you are watching TV on the couch all night, yess, you are in. If you are spending hours outside shopping and feeling relaxed, you are in. If these work for you, that is Ok!
But what if you continue to feel unhappy or unsatisfied after watching TV? Or after shopping? Or after any of “doing nothing” sessions.
This is why we need to learn “EFFECTIVE SELF-CARE”!
When it comes working harder, being more productive, being pro-active, writing to-do lists, being goal-driven, calendar blocking techniques, planning my schedule, creating time to work more, I am very successful. But, if it comes to “doing nothing”… I am very very bad at!
At least before reading that chapter, I was thinking I am bad at that!
Productivity and self-care is a two-way street. You cannot choose only being productive. You should also recharge yourself to prevent the fire(burnout) from growing.
Doing nothing is never just about doing “nothing”. It is a skill.
How we need to be disciplined to stick to our to-do lists and with our goals, we need to be even more disciplined while taking care of ourselves effectively!
Mostly we are not doing our bests while understanding the signs of our body and our feelings. We tend to follow the popular ways instead of our owns. This is why you should be your own data analyst!
There is not only one truth in that case. You need to listen to your body, chase your emotions and your energy levels.
After collecting your own personal data, the very next step is analysing it and trying to find the pattern(s).
What makes you happy? What makes you feel more energetic? When you lose the track of time? What makes you feel satisfied? What makes you feel refuelled? Which friends do you like most spending time with? How is your day routine? Is there a way to create extra time for yourself like waking up early?
In my case, I love to learn new things. I love to write. I love to read. I love to walk and taking pictures of flowers, birds and ladybugs. I love spending time with my family/friends. These are the things that makes me feel refuelled. Of course, I love to do lots of other stuffs, like watching movies, etc… But realised that they are not my priorities. If there is a to-do list on my mind, I am not even able to concentrate on the movie.
And, I have made my very own self-care routine. It does not need to look like someone else’s “doing nothing” routine. Even, in my case, it is not actually ‘doing nothing’. :)
I’ve scheduled twenty minutes learning time blocks every evening. This way, I am learning new things every day or have a chance to refresh my knowledge. Yes, mostly on a data science topic. :)
One night in a week, I am writing on whatever topic I want. It does not need to lead anywhere or does not even need to be published. I know that at least I have made a small step.
I have realised that whenever I follow that plan, I am spending more quality time with my family, with my friends (there is no to-do list left on my mind), I can concentrate on movies, I am reading more, feeling relaxed and I also sleep more peacefully.
I will stick to that self-care routine and will add more if I realise another patterns on my personal data. (But, a small confession, I need to work on more while scheduling my walking times.)
Do you have any methods for your EFFECTIVE DOING NOTHING TIMES?
I hope you enjoy reading!
Happy Analysing!
Love, Melis.
Reference
- Working Hard, Hardly Working: How to achieve more, stress less and feel fulfilled, Grace Beverley.