Lessons Learned in 2013

In years past I’ve written down the lessons I learned from the year. I didn’t blog a thing here in 2013, so I am starting this back up.

Simplify

2013 was a busy, difficult year. I changed jobs, houses, took up springboard/tower diving, and filled out paperwork for what seemed like days.

The simple little processes and practices that I had figured out and put in place when my time was more plentiful saved my bacon. When I created them I was being lazy, but the dividends of reduced stress and more time were lifesavers.

Take, for instance, blogging - I updated my nerdy site DafyddCrosby.com several times over the past year even when time was short, because it was simple to write for and update (that site uses Pelican for blogging, whereas this site took WordPress). It was so much easier to update, that I changed this site over to Pelican when I finally got a spare weekend.

I also started working on short stories and poetry, as I find it’s a lot easier to pick up and do day-to-day than writing novels. I can write a poem on a scrap of paper while on the C-Train, but novels require more preparation, both mentally and logistically. It sounds like laziness, but it’s actually the difference between writing every day and once-a-week.

Relax

For the first time in my life, I had to force myself to take downtime. There was always something that needed to get done, and I found myself exhausted much of the time. You know your life is crazy when the catastrophic flood hitting your town gives you much needed rest.

While the craziness has subsided for the most part, the need for rest and relaxation has never been clearer. When almost all of your day is scheduled to fullness, make sure you add a few minutes to the schedule to chill out on a couch.