Monday nights are the underdog of awesome weeknights. They are a chance to unwind from a busy weekend, to steady yourself for the week ahead, and to feel totally comfortable not having a plan whatsoever. This post is dedicated to their not-so-obvious delights.
-Reading the sections of the Sunday paper that made you say “Oh this looks neat, I’ll read it later”
-Grocery shopping for all those things you forgot earlier, but throwing in a few treats too
-Feeling good about just taking a bath and unwinding as much as possible
-Going to the movies and avoiding the crowd
-Starting a fun project that you’ll get to look forward to for the rest of the week
What are some of your favorite things about Monday nights?
Most of us know that, at times, it’s quite hard to get up off your ass. People will tell us to, but simple commands don’t seem to work.
The method used to motivate me, and thus create this blog, was one of creative accountability!
A good friend Matthew Carey and I promised each other to get something done by August 1st. I was to make a blog (that he could read) and he was to make a song (that I could listen to). Combine the pressure to impress a friend, along with the lure of a good tune, and you’ve got a winning motivation combination!
Cheers to friends inspiring friends!
Sit down with a cup of your favorite tea, put on some quiet jazz in the background, and open up a text editor and just start writing.
An blank white window is a full page of potential to be explored. So go to it, and start writing, you’ll be smiling in no time.
It seems that predicting accomplishment and enjoyment is a tough gig. Take my average day of unemployment so far. I’ll give you a rundown of tasks, their predicted awesomeness and their post-action reviewed awesomeness.
Playing Video games.
- Predicted Joy: High
- Real Outcome: Quite low, a waste of time
Having a junk food lunch, with beer and a cheesy movie.
- Predicted Joy: Also high
- Real Outcome: Upset stomach and numb mind
Going for a walk to “clear my mind.”
- Predicted Joy: High with the hopes of found clarity
- Real Outcome: Sore feet, only more questions, no solid answers
Coffeehouse-sitting; reading and writing.
- Predicted Joy: The fun of creativity and a time to read
- Real Outcome: Some writing, but not as quality as I’d like.
So all these tasks, which may have held some awesome value for a working man, have now lost their joy-weight. The only solution is to scrap these tasks and replace them with new ones, not relying on any predicted joy (perhaps even going against the grain and choosing to do terrible-sounding activities).
Here’s some tasks that have provided real good value, which didn’t sound as awesome in foresight.
R&D for Man’s Face Stuff.
- Predicted Joy: Somewhat high, but a definite tack-on of duty
- Real Outcome: Pretty Badass, it returned the color to my cheeks
Attending a NW Inventors Meeting.
- Predicted Joy: Uncertain, it was a new scenario
- Real Outcome: Also nice, though not without its up and downs
A very long walk to do some writing.
- Predicted Joy: High, with the goal of relaxation
- Real Outcome: Tiring, sore-feet, but a sense of accomplishment and relaxation gained
So what I’ve learned is that with all this free time it’s vitally important to give my actions some good thought before I jump into them, and not always follow my gut. Perhaps impulsive behavior should only be rewarded with small amounts of time while planned behavior should get larger chunks.
Further research is necessary.
You’ve stumbled upon my little online notebook. Congratulations! Here are things I write for myself, and you, the anonymous reader.
Have a lovely, browse as long as you’d like.
