retreat life - monk timetables

i loved how scheduled retreat life was.

i loved that, at every minute of the day, i was doing exactly what i needed to be doing. i loved knowing when exactly i needed to wake up, and when exactly i needed to go to bed. i loved having such limited options for rest: walking, napping or daydreaming.

there's something incredibly peaceful about knowing you’re doing exactly what you need to, right now, in this moment.

i would love a schedule in my modern life where:

• i always know exactly what i’m supposed to be doing at all times
• i have accountability for what i’m supposed to be doing
• i do have time to rest. but when i’m resting, i have not too many options for rest

i know this is possible because i've had it at times. in SF, for a while on Thursdays after work, I'd have a schedule where I'd have vocal lessons, walk, have dance class, walk, lift, then go home and watch a kdrama and sleep. It was so fun! I was always super present in what I was doing and had a blast.

it's easiest when i have scheduled time commitments and accountability, like with classes. but i can also get this with time blocking (scheduling todos as work blocks on my calendar) and even writing a simple checklist if it's not too long.

i would have this weeknight checklist for a couple weeks in November:

• gym
• write
• korean flashcards

and i could reliably get it done and it was very fulfilling.

moving forward, i want to use time blocking for work religiously using sunsama. i want to have a short evening checklist of things to do. and when i get back to New York i want to have plenty of classes on my calendar.

i don’t mind working hard. the scary thing is work overflows the time i have allocated for it. or i'm not confident i can get the work done. or i feel i should be doing something else.