Modus Operandi
I live (operate?) around workaholics and can easily claim I have reached that threshold too. There was a time when nights and days didn’t matter, I just worked. I’ve worked until I have no energy physically and no motivation mentally to continue anymore. That’s me. But the other workaholics around me are a bit different. They don’t break the pattern. To make matters worse, they don’t even believe in doing so. Or, they consciously don’t accept they are workaholics.
Here’s one thing I learned pretty early — there’s no such thing as “having no time”. It’s all about priorities. And in these other (you?) people’s priority list, living somehow comes last.
By living, I don’t mean bunk work and chill at home. I couldn’t and wouldn’t do that either. But live those weekends like weekends. And on a daily note, appreciate the little things. If you are still wondering what those little things are, you have got to start looking hard enough. The idea is to think about something else other than work.
In terms of why it’s important to live, google the side effects of workaholism and you’ll get your answers.
When it comes to me, I am trying to break the pattern and turning it into a habit. My social life has been on an all time high, given everyone around is either getting married/engaged or starting off on their dream careers or both. Hanging out at bars and banquets may sound fun at first but after a while, it becomes exhausting. (Even if the food and alcohol is free.) I’m trying to control and limit them but miserably failing at doing so. Either way, I’ve made room for that social life and separated it from my meaning of “living”.
As of now, the routine is to wake up and spend at least half an hour playing with the cats. I’d be lying if I said it’s not fun to do so everyday. They never get tired of my attention, I never get tired of their cuteness, and I’m hoping it stays that way.
I’ve started making my own breakfast. My culinary skills are limited to cereal-milk and omelettes but that works just fine for now. Then there are other things I’ve added strictly to my routine. I’m a fan of Maria Popova’s brainpickings.org and Gaping Void’s blog; I’ve made it a point to spend at least five minutes reading either of the two.
I’ve stopped reading news. The world has turned so crazy, I just don’t feel like giving the craziness any more attention. I hear about things here and there and that’s all the news I get everyday. Reading books had gone down my priority list for quite sometime. I changed that. I found time to do so before bed. Amusing thing is I read it out loud and my cats listen to it as if they understand it (Stupid, little, cute pussies).
I’ve made it a point to attend at least one creative live show every weekend. Be it stand-up comedy, spoken word, storytelling or even a writing course. I’m also trying to write more stuff and perform at any of these events, if possible.
Twitter and Instagram — I’m back to being actively active. (No, I don’t use Snapchat anymore because IG has all those features anyway. Plus, I never used it for those dog filters so I’m not losing on anything.) I still post weird stuff on both. You won’t get any selfies — not now, not ever. The aim is to acknowledge the little things. As always.
In terms of raving on this blog, I think I’m back on track. This post seems like a solid proof. No?
