The Secret

[dreamshark]

I gather that people who use more aggressive forms of social media than this one have found new methods to torment each other by humble-bragging about how much they are accomplishing during this period of enforced navel-gazing. Huh. To think that I spent most of my working life helping to build the Internet to enable this sort of recreation. I'm so proud. 

I have discovered that the secret to self-accomplishment is to set the bar very very low. I feel that I am doing my part to fight the pandemic just by staying home and doing nothing, which is comforting. My normal life involves a lot of staying home and doing nothing anyway, but now I can feel good about it.  

On top of that I try to accomplish one Big Project each day. Every now and then it's something like "clean out the kitchen cupboards" but more often it's "Wash my hair," or "Watch an episode of that show I read about yesterday," or "Use up that box of cornbread mix I found in the cupboard that one day I actually did something hard."  Yesterday it was, "Call CVS and get them to finally fill the prescription I have been trying to refill online for 3 weeks" (CVS is TERRIBLE. Someday my week long project will be to switch pharmacies). Today it's "Go pick up the prescription." (Yes, once I trudged through the phone tree and got hold of a person, she abandoned the fiction that they were waiting for a callback from my doctor and immediately filled it.)

If that works out I may ALSO wash my hair. But only if I'm feeling especially ambitious.

Comments

[pameladean]

Yes, this is about the level of accomplishment that I'm at most of the time. P.

[redbird]

yeah, right now staying home and avoiding random interaction, and getting a reasonable amount of sleep and food, counts for a lot, and is harder than usual because so much of the logistics has changed. My usual "doing nothing" might involve walking over to the convenience store for ices, or thanking the letter carrier for the day's mail rather than carefully holding back if he's on or approaching my porch.

[minnehaha]

Someday soon I will bring you pipe cleaners.

K.

[marahmarie]

Same-same, except I don't even aim for one a day...a few a week. Most of them are involved enough I generally want a break from Big Project thing for a day or two, anyhow. I stay busy either way...but then, outside of downtime from when/if I'm not feeling well, I pretty much always have. The pandemic's working out exactly the same for me in that respect - just less shopping, finding stuff I want or need online or off, and less contact with others.

[dreamshark]

Sounds like you're taking the Big part a little too seriously. Seriously, my goal for today (already accomplished!) was to wash my hair.

[marahmarie]

Wash my hair (and take a shower) was what I did *after* I dusted the ceilings, walls and ceiling fans, cleaned all the furniture and vacuumed the entire house with my good heavy vacuum, took a mile or so long walk, did dishes, cleaned up the kitchen after dinner, etc. That did me in, though, so outside of the dishes, another walk, and my usual daily chores I'm straight-up resting/pretty much sleepwalking through today.