A room of my own
It’s been one of those weeks, caught between a lot of work, organising a wedding and finally going out to see friends! Nice, productive, go with the flow, get carried by the flow.
But I didn’t learn anything new this week. Or at least not on purpose. And I brushed off writing this article as a ‘nothing to report’ case.
But that in itself is something to report. That I didn’t have the mental capacity to learn or write. That in the clutter of 100 things racing through my mind I didn’t make room to be intentional about what I wanted to do with my time.
I often have bursts of energy and motivation and make grand plans. But most times I get mentally tired from external stimuli and cruise along for a while on what I ‘need’ to do, instead of what I want to do. The latter is frankly easier, but not as pleasant.
I find myself feeling .. well.. jealous (there’s no better word) when I realise people know about topic and I didn’t get a chance to read about it, or when they spend time on their hobbies. And saying to myself ‘I wonder how they have the time!’.
But of course, it’s not a matter time, it’s a matter of direction. And it’s a matter of making my inside world bigger than the outside one. I decided to look for some advice from interesting minds and get inspired this weekend.
I thought of Magritte to accompany this article as he aimed to use clarity and simplicity to provoke unsettling thoughts. In that spirit, I think we owe it to ourselves to take the time to find those clear and simple thoughts that motivate and intrigue us.
I’ll tune out distractions and just be idle for a while
Virginia Wolfe wrote a touching essay on the luxury of writing undistracted, and wishes us ‘…that you will possess yourselves of money enough to travel and to idle, to contemplate the future or the past of the world, to dream over books and loiter at street corners and let the line of thought dip deep into the stream’. Being idle means you’re not catering to the outside world, and take the time to think ‘what next’. There are a lot of articles from a brief google advocating for the importance of doing nothing, staring at the wall and being bored. I particularly enjoyed this article on facing boredom, and the advice for carving out time to focus on yourself in Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism. I’ve cleared my schedule this weekend of work and chores, and abandoned my phone.
I’ll get inside my head
With the same indication of taking pause as the popular Headspace lays Mo Gawdat, ex-CBO of Google[X], but with a twist. He suggests instead of trying to detach from our thoughts as in meditation, to let our mind roam free and see what are the different thoughts that come in our head, with the condition that we only think about each thought once. I’ve found that to be a simple but so effective way to figure out what I really want. His talks on happiness are so matter of fact and refreshing, and will make your conversations with yourself more honest.
I’ll recharge
Susan Cain in Quiet makes a beautiful case for the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking. Whereas my general loudness doesn’t immediately qualify me for the introvert title (ups!), I found her point on how different personality types take time to recharge stoke a chord. Extroverts recharge from extrinsic sources, socialising and being amongst people. Introverts recharge from within, focusing on their hobbies and generally enjoying time spent on their own.
Energy and motivation are finite resources, and the more we understand about ourselves the better we can replenish them.
I couldn’t find any authoritative source to confirm my assumption that naps in the sun are the best way to recharge regardless of personality type, but I’m willing to start that line of scientific inquiry on our behalf!
I’ve resolved to one day find out what it’s like to be bored in a beautiful place. To wake up in the morning in a room of my own, overlooking the sea and think ‘what next’.
In the meantime, you’ll find me recharging with a book and a glass of wine in the back yard, basking in the sun. I’ll be back next week!
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
