routines matter

July 16, 2010

good morning!
and oh, it really IS! because i got exactly zero overnight pages yesterday night and it was as glorious as i imagined. now i get 2 weeks (plus an extra 2 days because i started call early to cover someone else) of signing the pager over to someone else* at 5 pm every night!

i am looking forward to this for many reasons; the first is that i will get my evenings back (5p – 8p is an extremely popular time to page, it seems) and second is that i can resume running OUTSIDE. i’ve been cautiously sticking to the treadmill for the past week on my early runs, so that if i get beeped i can simply hop off and tend to whatever needs to be dealt with.

i can’t wait to get back out and enjoy these low-70s-temps!
* someone else: other fellow, attendings, nurse practitioner. we all share the overnight pager burden, although this year my share is the heaviest (STILL not bad at all, though!)

routine, routine, routine
i’ve read multiple pieces about the importance of improving routines — like this one from the happiness project. it makes sense — by definition, a routine is something that happens over and over again. yet it’s easy to fall into bad patterns, leading to the same annoyances on a regular basis.

i know this because i have spent many a morning cursing the traffic lights on the way to work, mad at myself for being later than i wanted to be, my hair wet and mood darkening by the minute. my weekly goal this week was to work on improving my AM routine (this was also one of my 2010 resolutions!), but i’ve actually been working on it since the transition to fellowship happened.

so far, things are going much better than they used to! i’ve imposed a few guidelines (yes, i like to ‘impose things’ on myself — what?) — and they do seem to have helped!
they include:

5 am wakeup call. yes, it’s pretty early. but hey — it’s often an hour or so later than josh gets up! so we’re on the same, totally lame (but workable) old-person schedule. this seems to give me the right amount of time to get everything of importance done.

pack lunch FIRST. i pack lunch while i’m eating breakfast (though another option would be to do so the night before). there is nothing worse than scrambling around the kitchen in a panic when you want to be out the door already!

set time limits. for me, this is the hardest part. i could spend an hour writing my AM post! but i don’t have an hour. i set a deadline — i need to finish writing by 6:00 AM (so that i can then head to the gym/run). admittedly, this is the hardest for me to stick to, but is probably the most important.

once you leave, just breathe. if i DO still run late (and it happens!), there is nothing gained by seething and freaking out all the way to work. my commute is about 25-30 minutes door to door in the morning, and those minutes can be spent in a calm and pleasant manner, or they can be frantic, setting the scene for a crappy day. why not do the former??

fashion friday?
i was browsing for some anthro picks to post this morning, but came up somewhat short.


there is something that i enjoy about the haphazard lines tank, but for $78 i would certainly hold out for a sale.


it looks to me like they are leaving the crisp 1950s-aesthetic and fresh summery color palate behind for a more organic, rugged style. there is a lot of a lot of beige, gray, and accents of red/maroon — colors from nature, perhaps, but instead of coming from a tahitian beach, it’s out of a rather gloomy enchanted forest.

not as much my scene as a breezy shirtdress, but i suppose an evolution had to happen at some point! and i’m sure i’ll find more to be excited about as the fall collections roll out in a month or so . . .

————————————————————————–

7.15.10

workout: 30 minutes elliptical (levels 9-12) + upper body weights routine from the SSU.

pasta redux: how’s this for a quick dinner? spinach-ricotta pesto pasta turned into . . . spinach-ricotta-pesto-pasta SALAD!


with local yellow squash and grape tomatoes. ahhh, summer.

6 Comments

  • Reply sarah March 10, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    I pack lunch RIGHT after dinner the night before. Which is a good thing, because in the mornings, suddenly the pieces of lint on the ground are incredibly fascinating, and then my time is shot. My problem is, I&#39m generally more productive in the morning – I just have to work hard on staying focuses.

    PS – I&#39m going to a wedding this weekend and wearing an Antrho dress. It&#39s gorgeous and I&#39m excited.

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    Sarah – Explaining your routine and tricks for maintaining it is so helpful. My morning routine is in need of an overhaul because I get caught up reading blogs/writing/journaling and then, whoops it&#39s 7:30 and I&#39ve missed my workout and I need to move it. Also like the commenter, Sarah, above me said – I&#39m going to try packing lunch the night before so that&#39s out of the way.

    P.S. I&#39m going to a wedding this weekend in an Anthro dress too!

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    I am so impressed but all you are able to get done in the morning! Today I am up 2 hours before I need to leave and all I did was run outside, shower & get ready, and eat breakfast. I can&#39t imagine also having time to post and also make lunch!

  • Reply atilla March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    The best part of having block time in the OR is that when I&#39m late the only person I delay is me. Takes the pressure off

  • Reply Ashley March 10, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    First of all, I highly advocate packing lunch the night before, especially with all the dinner meals you make. Leftovers are great lunches and it&#39s super easy to pack lunch while cleaning up.

    Secondly, I was wondering where you get all your cool stationary stuff. I am looking for a fun grocery list pad and a weekly meal planner. Any suggestions for another organization-nerd? Thanks!

  • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger March 10, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    ashley: the menu planning pad is this one, easily obtained from amazon. my other favorite go-to site for stationery is the daily planner. hope this helps!

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