Rules of Engagement - Rule 1 - Work, Rest, Play

Throughout my life, I’ve been interested (obsessed) with being productive everyday, having a routine and knowing what’s happening next, not far in the future, the next 5 minutes. I think it’s important to look ahead to the next road sign rather than the mountains far in the distance.

What I mean by this is pay attention to the present and near future because if you plan the rest of your life, you may miss little nuggets of gold which have great potential to take your life into unexpected and exciting crevices (last metaphor for a while I promise).

A planned life leads to a planned life: simple, boring, predictable. So just focus on what’s next. I’m not sure why these rules developed so considerably but I remember what gave rise to my routines and rules. The mars bar advert. Eat, Rest, Play.

That advert and similar ones changed my life. This is now how everyday of my life has, in some way, been. I do something productive like writing, working out, meditating, playing guitar, reading, research etc. then I’ll rest i.e. watch tv then I’ll play: chess or Fifa mainly. I don’t see myself as an expert or psychologist, I simply believe that being productive is key to purpose, meaning and a generally fulfilling life. Overall, it has led me to meditating everyday, exercising most days, completing a HNC in Media and Communication, a BA Hons in Journalism Studies, a MSc in Digital Society (I’m planning on starting another MSc) and reading everyday. So far, during this lockdown I have created and promoted a website with all my previous work uploaded, planned a podcast/YouTube project and training to run a 5K. What an arsehole listing his accomplishments like some self centred, self absorbed egomaniac. I’m not here to boast, I just want to show that these rules have helped me with my short term goals.

The intention of these upcoming articles isn’t to convince you to live your life like me as it has led to some form of OCD (probably) but I do think these routines and rules I set for myself may be useful for those of you who are struggling to be productive and find purpose in these sometimes lonely, worrisome and boring times. Although the articles that follow in this series may paint obsessive splotches all over the canvas creating a picture of a troubled individual (another metaphor, I’m sorry), the facts are routines can improve our mental health, help us to cope with change, to form healthy habits, and to reduce our stress levels.

So behold the spilling of my brain juice:

Rule 1 - WRP

Work Rest Play

This has been mentioned although the specifics are, at the moment anyway (most rules I develop in my mind and if I decide a development is worthwhile, it sticks), that I ‘work’ for around an hour or until I’ve completed three tasks. This could be learning a song, going for a run or reading. However, I also have developed recently the ‘dailies.’ These are small tasks I complete everyday. My dailies are :

• Meditate

• Read something

• Write something

• Catch up on the news - I have various news companies from differing political perspectives email me their daily news briefings

• Duolingo - language learning app

• Update my quotes - when reading something that interests me, I fold down the corner of the page and later I’ll log this

• Listen to that months playlist

This sounds like a lot but each one takes no longer than 10 minutes. That’s why I would count three of these activities as one task. So I’ll do three of my dailies and then something else on my to do list.

Now, my to do lists (yes, plural) might need a rule of their own but for now I’ll just say, the tasks on the to do lists are fairly large and need to be broken down, for example, I might complete three dailies, then upload some of my previous work to my website then go for a run. That’s one lot of work and deserves a rest.

A rest for me is watching TV but it could be something else for you like reading a magazine or a short power nap. But I have a constant mountain of TV on my planner and watch lists. I’ll start with one of the many political/news comedy shows I watch such as Real Time with Bill Maher or Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Then on my next rest I’ll watch a documentary/news type programme to learn about a specific subject surrounding current affairs like BBC’s Panorama. After that, I’ll mix it up and watch something funny on Netflix, right now that’s Comedians in Cars Having Coffee, then I’ll watch a documentary/news programme regarding current affairs on Netflix, right now it’s Dirty Money. I’ll do this on Amazon and YouTube as well if I have time. I imagine you reading this and thinking what a sad little world this guy must live in in his head however, I’m interested in current affairs and politics. But, please alter these rules to suit you, if you like binge worthy tv shows, watch an episode or if you like music, listen to some music. This shouldn’t be longer than an hour though because you don’t want to spend too much of your day resting. Think of this rest as mental downtime, periods when you're not focusing on and engaged in the outside world because if your brain doesn't get a chance to chill and restore itself, your mood, performance, and health suffer as a consequence.

Then on to Play. I’m addicted to Fifa so I’ll usually play a game or three (if I lose I keep playing until I win or at least draw). I’ll sometimes play chess on my phone as well. You can do whatever you want at this time but that’s how I spend it. It should really be something you enjoy but that doesn’t feel like work, it should be something fun for the sake of fun.

Once you follow this for some time, it will become second-nature and then it will be a fully-formed habit and hopefully will result in improvements for your mental health, physical health, career and other aspects of your life.

So that’s WRP (Work, Rest, Play). Next time I’ll cover the magical world of to do lists. Please try stop yourself from biting your nails off in anticipation. I realize this is exciting stuff.

References

https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/why-its-important-schedule-more-downtime-your-brain

https://www.elitedaily.com/wellness/blood-sweat-tears-happiness/1259555