This is my first Day of Writing. I came across the idea of theming my days when I recently watched a bunch of Youtube-videos. You know the one: your typical productivity porn videos by your typical productivity experts. The ones that make you feel productive without actually accomplishing anything.
Who are these videos for? Who is watching these videos? Probably a bunch of losers like myself who watch productivity videos to procrastinate. Well, to be honest, I don’t watch these videos anymore to procrastinate. But that’s what I used to do, and I definitely get that fuzzy feeling of pseudo-productivity when I watch them.
Nowadays I usually watch Let’s Plays to procrastinate. Feels more honest.
So why did I recently watch these videos? Because I am actually trying to find ideas to improve my productivity practices. (Yikes. Productivity practices. Sounds dirty. Maybe I should come up with a nicer word.)
My current morning routine
On weekdays (when I have to go to an office for work):
- always: wake up between 5:00 and 5:30 in the morning
- always: meditate for 45 minutes sitting in bed
- always: make a coffee
- always: drink my coffee while sitting in bed
- almost always: write some notes
- sometimes: get something done, like writing and sending an invoice
- always: get ready and leave the house for work at around 8:00
Wow. Pretty impressive, if I may say so myself. Sounds like someone who really has their shit together. Sounds like a productive person’s morning routine. Sounds like a disciplined individual. (Spoiler: I am neither of those. So, keep reading if my morning routine made you feel bad about yourself. You will feel better soon. I promise.)
On weekends (or other days that I do not have to go to an office for work):
- always: wake up whenever I wake up (probably between 7:00 and 10:00 depending on the night before)
- always: make a coffee
- always: drink my coffee while sitting in bed
- sometimes: write some notes
- sometimes: get something done
- instead of getting something done, I often watch Youtube or listen to podcasts
- sometimes: get ready and leave the house to do stuff
- most often: instead of getting ready and leaving the house, just stay inside and keep doing whatever I was doing
A little less impressive, right? Weekends and weekdays, when I don’t have to leave home to go to an office, are obviously not my strong suite. Not. At. All. I often end up staying inside all weekend, watching Youtube, listening to podcasts or music.
And my apartment is a mess. Maybe not a complete and total mess like it used to be, but it’s pretty bad. It’s bad enough that I am too embarrassed to post a photo. Let’s just say: I don’t feel good about how messy my apartment has been for the last couple of years.
“Why the hell is he telling me this?”
Excellent question. I haven’t thought about that. I just started writing. Let me think.
(Me, thinking…)
Ok. One reason is, I want you to feel better about yourself. If you read the occasional productivity blog or watch the occasional productivity video with those nearly perfect people with nearly perfect routines and habits – you might keep feeling bad about yourself.
I tell you: Don’t feel bad! Even if those seemingly uber-productive, near perfect people aren’t faking it – do not feel bad. There are more people in the world who are like you. If your life is not perfect, you are pretty normal. My life is not perfect either.
Do. Not. Feel. Bad. Nobody is perfect. Especially not as perfect as their social media profile makes them seem.
This might cheer you up: my usual evening routine on weekdays
So, here is my evening routine for those days, when I get up early and leave the house to work in an office. You know, those days when I practice that impressive morning routine:
- arrive home exhausted with no energy at all
- open my laptop and turn on some Youtube Let’s Play video to “relax”
- “cook” dinner (which on 9 out of 10 days is either a frozen pizza or some basic pasta), while simultaneously having the video running, only paying half attention to it
- sometimes drink alcohol, to “relax” even more
- gobble down my dinner while watching Youtube
- keep watching Youtube, laying on the sofa
- at some point, get ready for bed while listening to a podcast or watching Youtube
- go to bed, often falling asleep to a podcast
Not so impressive, right? Does that still sound like a disciplined person who has their shit together? I don’t think so.
I feel more like the person doing the evening routine (which is not really an intentional routine at all). I feel like a pretty lazy person who watches too much Youtube, and eats unhealthy. I feel like a person who needs to get their shit together, clean their apartment on a regular basis, work out, eat healthy, and all that crap you’re supposed to do as an adult.
So, enough of that.
Do you know what would make you feel better immediately? If you stop surfing the inter-webs right now. Go and take a walk, meet some friends, read a book. Anything. But, please, stop looking at this screen! (At least for a while.)
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Thanks, for reading (and sharing)! 🥳