Hey,
I can’t remember if I already told you, but I’m currently on a short two-month sabbatical. I’m about halfway through it now (!!) and I think I’m finally getting into the groove of things. I’m forgotten what day of the week it is, because that’s become a trivial fact to me. Except of course that the bakery is closed on Sundays and Mondays. That’s something I’ve forgotten too many times, often when I’m already at their door. There is a certain pleasantness that exists in this way of living. It’s obviously hard to sustain (no income, only expenses), but one I’ve come to appreciate. I was afraid I would be bored, but instead I’m slowly getting my inspiration back. I try to spend the mornings at a coffee shop reading or writing. Or, like Monday, buying random shit on Amazon. ⏳ Can’t wait to get my new hourglass.
I’ve moved past any guilt I was feeling with “wasting time” and started just living day-to-day, basking in existential uncertainty. I’ve even learned what demons are and the ones that I’m carrying around. Hello need for validation! 👋🏼
As one is prone to do, I’ve become a bit introspective. Aside from therapy, I’ve turned to two different things that have proven effective: Morning Pages and 80,000 hours. Morning pages is a simple exercise out of The Artists Way, a book I picked up the week before my time off. Each morning for the last 4-5 weeks, I’ve written 2-3 pages long-hand in a notebook. It’s the only writing habit I’ve ever had stick. Even after filling almost a full book, I’m still tweaking my routine to see what will work for me long-term. It’s meant to be a brain-dump. I rarely have that much to say so I often write about the dream I had, the day before, or how I have nothing to say. Sometimes though, I use the time to reflect on some questions that are nagging at me. A big one for me lately has been how I want to be spending my time more broadly and the different types of things I want to be working on. How do you even start to think about that question?
