How do you structure your daily life?

[S:C]

Do you use specific methods with dividing the time for most effectiveness and wellbeing - as in time well spent, like using a calender and plan each week ahead? Setting weekly, monthly, yearly goals?

Which self management methods do you use, e.g. getting things done? 

Or don't you and apart from the time that is already taken in by job and family duties you just wait "to be kissed by the muses"? 

 

 

 

Be glad to hear some of your ideas.

 

[steve]

My work schedule is very demanding and has been for most of my life. Outside that I try to prioritize an hour each morning for meditation and time for physical exercise ~ 3 times per week. I really should make some standing time with my spouse which I’be done inconsistently. I do allow family matters to take 1st priority whenever necessary. Everything else is making out with the muses…

[dwai]

For work, life is driven by calendars and todo lists. I wouldn’t remember to even start half my tasks without these.

 

In personal life, I take 40 mins in the morning for Kriya and meditation. And practice taijiquan/meditation in the evening/night as the mood strikes. I usually combine standing meditation with activities where I don’t need to move (such as watching something on TV/YouTube lectures or other videos).  Rest of the time is family time. 

[forestofemptiness]

Try to insert a practice session when. You get up. Then if you can, another after digesting supper. I get work time for the gym, so that helps.
 

I have lost most of my worldly and spiritual ambition though, so probably don’t listen to me.

[freeform]

I train between 2 and 5hrs a day - whilst also working and having a (minimal to be honest) social life. So I have to plan carefully.

 

I use (what I've recently learned is called) time-blocking.

 

My day is divided into blocks of time that I 'book off' for specific activities - when I do an activity I generally focus 100% on it. So when I do a work task, nothing else makes its way into my attention (emails/phone, tea, unrelated thoughts or ideas etc). I also stick quite strictly to my time blocks and generally don't go over time (it took a while to get accurate at estimating how long things take). I've found that over time this has made me about 2x as productive as before - but it takes quite a bit of discipline to learn not to multitask or allow your mind to wonder to other stuff while working. I'm not a naturally disciplined person - and this has been key to developing that ability.

 

I take small breaks in between the big time blocks (which is when I stretch, or check the Dao Bums, or listen to podcasts or watch videos etc). I also block time for nothing in particular which is when I'll go for a walk or call a friend or whatever I'd like.

 

I do meditative training in the morning right after waking (usually 2hrs)... do some exercise in the afternoon around lunch... and then train again usually for 2hrs in the evening before bed. I don't watch TV while training (but I do listen to music or a podcast when I'm exercising).

 

I do have goals - but it's quite different to how others seem to do them. I just know that I have to head in a certain direction, or develop a certain aspect in my training - there's no 'targets' that I have to hit, it's just knowing that there's a process and a path rather than just a mindless routine - I've found this super important. I do a lot of self correction - by basically writing things down after each training block... I also write down stuff about daily life - how I affect people, how they affect me, how I could improve that and so on.

 

It all sounds quite strict, but actually my days seem to flow really smoothly and elegantly, I tend to feel calm and gentle rather than the 'hustling' mentality I see with friends that seem to either push too hard or vegetate, but hardly ever flow... This all built up naturally over time and feels quite normal to me.

[Nungali]

9 hours ago, liberale.ironikerin said:

Do you use specific methods with dividing the time for most effectiveness and wellbeing - as in time well spent, like using a calender and plan each week ahead? Setting weekly, monthly, yearly goals?

Which self management methods do you use, e.g. getting things done? 

Or don't you and apart from the time that is already taken in by job and family duties you just wait "to be kissed by the muses"? 

 

 

 

Be glad to hear some of your ideas.

 

 

Closer to the 2nd . In short, thete is no organisation ... its more  'flow' .

 

My life has been geared toward a life style that allows me to live each dy and moment 'as it comes' .... on a whim. I dont like to do anything I dont feel like doing , at that moment .   I achieved success  wit this some years back .   I have two markers to my time ; Saturday morning training at the park in town (but I always want to do that ) ,   and a monthly Chiro session , oh yeah, 3 now actually, I recently started a little 'play group'  ( Shakespearian )  on   Thursdays .   Some other days, I dont even know what day it is , and it doesnt matter .

 

The trouble is , a minor 'infraction; is now annoying   

 

Spoiler

Jeeze I am a spoiled bastard !     I must have it better than 98% of people that ever lived  ....

 

..... so I guess I owe it to 'The Gods' to lap it up and enjoy it

 

[Nungali]

Years back a flatmate had his wacky GF staying with us .... hopeless and totally disorganised , would run around daily in a flap and not achieve much at all .   He suggested she write out a list of things she needed to do in the day and work through them one at a time . She said she would start doing that tomorrow .

 

The next day I saw her list she had been working on at the table ;

 

1. Get up and have breakfast .

 

2 .  Make a list .

 

    (Thats as far as she got )

 

.

Edited July 17, 2021 by Nungali

[whitemic]

I (try to) structure my daily life in accordance with the five elements. Instead of saying "I'm going to do THIS thing at THIS time", I try to say "I'm going to have the intent of the current mixture of elements at all times".

 

Wood - Morning qi gong and something light to eat as I get into the day at work (Morning). Personally, I don't like to overdo it early as I feel it tries to skip the cycle and ultimately diminishes its effect.

 

Fire - On work days (most days), this is the meat of my day. We burn through the mornings with a focused purpose before you can even blink. On days off, I will take an uninterrupted one-hour block to sharpen skills in Xingyi or Bagua (depending on how I feel) - using the remaining time to complete errands or do any physical labor needed.

 

Earth - As the day progresses later into the afternoon, whether working or not, things begin to settle down gradually and I use this time to clean up relationships of the day. Maybe you offended someone - apologize. Maybe you had a good laugh with someone - thank them.

 

Metal - Into the evening, clarity and qi become the main focuses. Depending on what sparks my interest, the evening is used to study texts, plan and deliberate, or unlearn. Most importantly though, a well-balanced and nourishing meal is important to extract qi for cultivation at night.

 

Water - Unlike most that exercise in the morning, my main exercise is at night. I do a 30min bodyweight routine that incorporates Xingyi, take a shower, and then run the Six Healing Sounds until I fall asleep. Most nights I don't even make it through all six once, unfortunately.

 

A key to my routine is consistency; I try to make a work day feel the same as a day off. I wake up at 5.57am and go to bed when I'm tired (usually around 11pm).

 

Also worth mentioning, these phases shift lengths throughout the year's cycle. During the summer, I work harder longer. During the winter, I exercise and meditate more.

[silent thunder]

chop wood, carry water

[S:C]

On 4.8.2021 at 9:55 PM, silent thunder said:

chop wood, carry water

Thoreau like simplicity in modern times? Interesting, do you live the life of an ascetic, is this just a metaphor for the eastern perspective on personal development or is your life really as simple as this? 

 

So "goals" aren't the motor's driving force for most of you. Interesting!

 

 

Edited August 8, 2021 by liberale.ironikerin