Week 16: Journalling.

Here we go again. Here’s what’s been in my mind recently.

Something I keep doing

Keeping my phone in the bedroom for at least the first 6 hours of the day. I won’t have my phone around me anywhere while I’m working for the first 6 hours of my day. Lately I’m extending this to my whole working day. Have been doing it for a year. And it’s a home run for focus and being present with people in meetings.

Something I’m thinking of

Hard Choices, Easy Life. Easy Choices, Hard Life.

Jerzy Gregorek

I keep thinking of this every now and then. And it keeps pushing me out of my comfort. Good reminder for me to keep thinking like this.

Something I got back to.

Journalling. Journalling for 10 min in the morning. A simple 1 big pager should do it. I’ve done it on and off for years. And it always feel good when I am back at it. Same as walk or exercise. You never regret them. Same for writing. It’s in simple 4 sections:

Section 1: A simple prayer (I came up with) at the beginning of the page.Section 2: What I’m grateful for. Mention people name, places, experiences. (I find myself mentioning the weather far too much it seems. I love the sun. And it’s always there in the list whenever it’s sunny in London.)Section 3 (past/yesterday): what I did yesterday and how I felt.Section 4 (future/today): 3 questions:What can make today an amazing day for me?What’s 1 thing that if done, I’ll be satisfied with my day?What I’m doing for what I want to become? A set of things I want to focus on like: I write them as “I’m X”.I’m a writer → Share what I did last week, simple and concise. Learn how to be economical with your writing (my favourite book on this is Revising Prose, Keith)I’m a good servant of society → Send a friend a thank you note.I’m a reader → Read: Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy and The Republic by Plato.etc.

Had this as my companion for journaling for the last couple of years.

Something new (and old) I’m doing.

Same as last week, this is not new at all: I’m yet again, going back to how Syrians drink their tea, zuhurat زهورات شامية or mostly any drink. The whole idea of drinking a hot beverage is the experience you make around drinking the beverage. It’s sensual as much it is actually basic, trivial and simple. In Syria, we drink hot beverages by pouring the drink in small cups. You drink the cup while its hot and pour another one if you like from the hot teapot. This way, the beverage is always hot because it’s always from the teapot which is always under a cover (a simple towel does it.)

The whole experience around heating the tea (or zuhurat for me) in a teapot, waiting for it to simmer under the towel, then drinking it bit by bit, always hot, is reminding me of home. And how it felt when I was a kid.

Something I failed at

Reading more. I’m averaging around 45 min a day lately which is not the best for me.

Reading is essential for me to clear my head and cool down. It makes me calm. It makes me think and it makes me wonder. I do it mostly while sitting on chair or in the sunny corner of my house – on a cushion on the floor just against the window.

I mostly read before work early in the morning and in the bed. In good days, it will be around 1-2 hours in the morning and 30 min in the evening.

Something I succeeded in doing

At last, I’m seeing the fruits of training diligently. I’m front-squating to weights I haven’t done before at all. Weights that I was doing only 7 reps 2 weeks ago, now I can do 30 in 3 sets (10 reps each.) Same for other body parts, though the improvements differ. It’s making me committed.

Something I keep using

Apple AirPods. A great example of great engineering and seamless design and user experience. I think they are one of the best things one can use for daily work. I became aware of the potential danger of wireless sets and whether they are completely safe or not. Need to investigate this more I think.

That’s it for this week for me. Get at it.