Good Evening, my fellow Warriors, and welcome back to the Den. Tonight, I want to talk about schedules, and how they effect us. Like so many of you, before this “pandemic” started, I had a schedule. I got up in the morning by a certain time, went to work at a certain time, came home and went to bed….you guessed it, at a certain time. Having a schedule worked, we knew the basics of what we had to do and when, and built everything else around that. Life was easy in many ways, because we had structure. We’ve been programmed that way, we’ve lived our whole lives that way, and most of us don’t know how to live life without it.
In the past, anytime I didn’t have a set schedule, I would go a little nuts, a little crazy. I would spend hours walking around my house aimlessly, feeling unsettled, looking at things that needed to be done, getting some basic tasks that needed to be done completed, but more slowly than I should have (and could have) been doing, and just couldn’t settle down enough to focus on anything long enough to actually get some real work done. I knew that my real issue was just the thoughts and procrastination going on in my head, but I was having major issues in breaking through and making any progress in getting anything done. After all, why try getting anything done when your schedule is going to change anytime, right?
I remember when I was a little kid, I didn’t have a schedule. At least, I didn’t think I did. I had school to go to, but that was it. And because of the type of school I went to, I didn’t really have a schedule there either. Then, after school, it was all play time. But I also had no responsibilities either. I didn’t know what work was, and I had no concept of bills. And once I grasped the concept of a schedule, by that time, it was too late. Everything had a specific time, date, location and I became a master at following schedules. I was hooked into the programming.
Now that I don’t have a job, and no real likelihood of getting one, it’s a whole different world. I have all the time I need, and plenty of things to keep me occupied, so there’s no issues there. I’ve had to prioritize certain projects because of things outside my control, but the biggest thing I’ve had to do since I lost my job was learn how to create my own schedule. So now, my schedule is no longer based on when someone else needs me, it’s based on practical things like the weather (pulling weeds is difficult enough without having to deal with 100 degree temperatures), household projects that require immediacy (like replacing water system components so that you have water in your house), things that are of such importance that they can effect our daily life and whether or not we have what we need to make it through the day, or the week.
As the bigger projects are completed, and some of the newer, but more long term projects take hold, my new schedule is forming. It’s a flexible schedule, based around what I need to do, and how I want to do it. It’s a new practice for me, and a new way of maintaining control over myself. Before, if something didn’t get done, I always had the “work” excuse. Now my home is my work which changes my entire focus. Instead of aimlessly roaming my house looking at things that need to be done, my focus has become my work. If I don’t get it done, I don’t have what I need. It’s a simple concept. And an old one since this is how our ancestors got things done. Now it’s become time for us to bring it back. And I, for one, am grateful for it. It’s my life now, it’s my structure.
Blessed Be.
The Warriors Den 