Monday, March 28, 2011

Practice/Recovery/Sleep

So during the three week flu and post-flu break that I took, I lived the life that I realized is lived by most? Or perhaps that I imagine is lived by most, but nobody really lives like that?

Let me tell you about my entire adult life. Sleep, work, play, and trying to make art. As concise as that is, that's really one piece too much. Because of not being able to make art for a living, and not being able to not make art. Okay but, how about trying to make kids or indeed actually making them. A lot of people do that, along with sleep and work and play. And sometimes, also making art. So perhaps we're in the same boat, or we're similarly in a boat that's supposed to hold three and we've brought on four or five.

See in the last three weeks, I only had three. I worked and went to practice. I watched television, read books, and did a little bit of laundry. I slept. It was so sane and normal.

So I've been analyzing my life according to this new paradigm, because that's sane and normal. What, I like paradigms. It has, as stated, three parts:

  1. Practice - I would say this is your work, but I'm already using that term in my other paradigm. I won't say it's the old paradigm, because I'm still using it. So I'm calling this practice, like a doctor has a practice. It's what you hang your shingle out to the world that you do. What you do for a living probably goes here. Other things can go here, too. So working goes here, and so does writing and skating for me.
  2. Recovery - This is what you redo that got undone by what you do. It's everything R&R. Watching television and reading books goes here. But also making the bed, doing the dishes, laundry, and grocery go here.
  3. Sleep - Like it or not, sleep is a third of your life. I try not to cheat sleep. I figure it's there for something, so I try to do it as best I can.

It's easy enough to divide up, right? One third practice, one third recovery, one third sleep. There are twenty four hours in a day, divisible by three. I always divide up my time by the week, in six rows. So two rows for practice, two rows for recovery, and two rows for sleep.

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
SLEEP
 
SLEEP
 
SLEEP
 
SLEEP
 
SLEEP
 
SLEEP
 
SLEEP
 
HOBBY
 
HOBBY
 
WORK
 
HOBBY
 
WORK
 
HOBBY
 
HOBBY
 
HOBBY
 
HOBBY
 
WORK
 
HOBBY
 
WORK
 
HOBBY
 
PLAY
League
PLAY
Referee
PLAY
League
PASTIME
 
PLAY
Fury
PLAY
Scrimmage
PASTIME
 
PASTIME
 
PASTIME
 
PASTIME
 
PASTIME
 
PASTIME
 
PASTIME
 
PASTIME
 
PASTIME
 
SLEEP
 
SLEEP
 
SLEEP
 
SLEEP
 
SLEEP
 
SLEEP
 
SLEEP
 

Well, it's handy that I only work two days a week. It's kind of pretty, isn't it? I suppose I could work Tuesdays and Fridays instead of Tuesdays and Thursdays to make it perfectly even, but I think a little syncopation keeps it lively.

I have the most freedom on those four hobby days. After breakfast, I start with whatever needs tidying up; that's recovery. When it all feels tidied, I sit down to write. That's practice, and it has to be limited to that amount of time. Certain things will fit in there, and some things won't. I have to stop trying to fit in the things that won't.

Truthfully, in this paradigm, that Saturday morning slot is perfect for another practice...