Hey Team,
It’s Day 5 and I’m really hoping you are figuring out how to make at least some small spaces for yourself in your day.
I’ve picked out two 5 minute videos for today (it *is* Day 5 after all!) but before we get to those, I have a suggestion for you.
If you are like me, you probably have a few big tasks in the weeks ahead that you want to have finished but you are absolutely dreading. Maybe the task feels way too big, maybe it’s a task you hate, maybe you are afraid that once you get started you’ll get stuck working on it forever…ok, maybe that last one is just me. 😉
When I have one of those tasks ahead of me, I tend to make it into ‘A Thing.’ *
I capitalized ‘A Thing’ and put it in quotes because it’s my personal shorthand for when I have let my dread of a task turn the task itself into a huge monster. It’s no longer just an annoying or difficult task, it’s a whole ‘Thing.’
And I never want to start a whole ‘Thing.’
However, experience has taught me that the only way to turn ‘A Thing’ back into a thing is to get started on it.
And often, the only way to get started is to give myself a really short amount of time to work on it. The amount of time needs to be so short that there is no way for me to actually finish it in that time. And, in fact, the amount of time is so short that I can’t even make visible progress.
My victory is not in how much I get done, it’s in spending a small amount of time on ‘A Thing.’
And usually once I have spent that small amount of time, ‘A Thing’ becomes a thing and I can make plans for how to move forward.
So, today, on Day 5 of Making Space 2023, I am going to make a little brain space for myself by working for 5 minutes – and ONLY 5 minutes – on ‘A Thing.’
Feel free to join me by working for 5 minutes on any task that might be ‘A Thing’ for you.
Remember, the 5 minutes timeframe is the victory.
This is about breaking the spell, not about making progress on the task.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled program:
This is fun 5 Minute Movement Break of Afrobeats Dance from the YouTube channel for UBC’s Rec Program –
I really like how this video incorporates mindfulness into an ordinary activity, referring to it as an ‘informal’ meditation. This is a 5 Minute Mindful Coffee Break from Katie McLaughlin’s YouTube channel. Feel free to drink tea instead, I did!
*I’m not sure if the whole ‘A Thing’ thing is an ADHD tendency or if it is an everybody tendency but I hope it comes in handy for you either way.
About Making Space 2023:
In December 2020, Fit is a Feminist Issue blogger Martha created a tradition – a series of reminder posts to take good care of ourselves during this last month of the year when it is far too easy to get swept up in your to do list, no matter what you are celebrating or not celebrating.
In 2021, I started doing daily December reminders with a post called Give Yourself Some Space, and that’s how the ‘Making Space‘ December tradition began. Throughout December 2021 and 2022, I wrote a short post that included two videos – one for exercise and one for meditation – and a bit of encouragement for you to make space for yourself at this busy time of year.
These posts are not about cramming more things into your month, they reminding you that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and that you are worth taking good care of.
Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need at the moment. That’s totally ok. Perhaps you can use something else to create some space, something that will help you feel more relaxed or more in charge of your day. Just do whatever you can to give yourself a little more breathing room.
Personally, I am trying to Finish 2023 Soft so I am putting conscious effort into resting whenever I can. My overjangled nervous system needs a chance to unjangle and that process may look different every day.
So, some of these posts may be long and some may be short but please know that every single one of them is written with the hope that you can find a little ease in your day, whatever that looks like for you.
So, in the spirit of making things easy for ourselves, I am finally getting around to making this comment. It doesn’t even relate directly to this post. But there it is. I just have been wanting to tell you how much fun I am having reading your Soft Finish and Making Space posts, and specifically, how much I liked this particular bit:
“I’m trying to work more cooperatively with my own brain here.”
That sums it all up so nicely! Thanks for all you are putting out here for us.