I really struggled with all the unstructured time post-grad and my body totally flipped like what do you MEAN I have nothing to do and if I do nothing, nothing will happen? This rec is annoying, but as a skilled layabout, it really helped me overcome the whole âwhat do I do all dayâ thing and also the âwhy am I falling asleep at 3 AM and waking up at noon?â thing to make a loose schedule and try to adhere. If youâre applying for jobs, school, or even just pondering what to do next, think about:Â
At what time during the day do I feel most awake and alive? Then, block out like four hours around that window. I try to do 90 minutes of focused work at a time with like 60 minutes between for chilling. So, if you can start with two little blocks of working on applications or doing some intentional, focused pondering, great. Gradually, you can increase the amount of work if you want.Â
Then, plan the rest of your day around things you need and want to do - move your bod, eat, socialize. Things like talking a short walk in the morning to get some sunlight, going to the movies, and calling friends, lighten me up!  Keep it simple babe!Â
Post-grad, I laid on a couch for three months in stay at home girlfriend mode totally consumed by fear. I asked a lot of older people how they figured things out and they told me that nobody ever does. I like to do some meditations on intention and listening to yourself (linked). And I agree with capyboppy...try to stay present and pay attention to what you got going on right now! The weight of future is heavy becuase you probably want your life to be sick and meaningfulâŚ.and thatâs cool.
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As someone who is laying on the couch totally consumed with fear, thank you im going to try this
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the work-eat-scroll-sleep-repeat pattern had me in a chokehold for ~3 years after I graduated from college, realized that a large part of the reason I struggled to break the cycle was because Iâd want to ârestâ after work but eventually do something enriching in the evenings, but didnât actually have an idea of what I wanted to do so the lift to get off [app] was less willpower and more decision paralysis; the friction of figuring out what to do was what was keeping me in the cycle ~90% of the time.
what has worked for me:
1. going outside immediately after work (especially if working from home) to run an errand or go to a book or record or coffee shop
2. keeping a list of projects i want to / am currently working on or skills i want to develop and making progress on those
3. reading a book
4. (most effective) taking a class (writing, pottery, filmmaking for me) and either going to the sessions or doing the assignments
but also sometimes you literally just wanna rot and thatâs cool too!
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i tried a couple different ways to structure my time:
1. daily timeblocking (3*/10): setting 5-6 to wind down; 6-7 for dinner; 7-9 for enrichment; etc⌠didnât work at all for me. too structured.
2. theming days: (5*/10): mondays are for reading; tuesdays writing; etc⌠worked slightly better but sometimes you wanna do a different thing than the theme, introduces decision paralysis of whether to power through to build routine or to follow your instincts and have max fun
3. big list: (7*/10): here are all my projects (and subtasks) or hobbies or chores or errands i want to do; i give them a number score of how urgently i want to do them, then do the one i want to do most thats higher priority. bonus points if at the start of the week or month, you put some activities on a calendar for specific days even randomly to just have a schedule when you donât have something youâre particularly called to do so thatâs your default activity and not scrolling. works the best*!
(*for me)
Jan 16, 2025
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Try not to completely give into depression and let everything in your life go. If you have an LSAT coming up and need a job, maybe you just need to prioritize one to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Having a singular focus is really helpful because itâs less overwhelming and confusing. And making some sacrifices is better than burning out and failing everything. Can the job possibly wait? If not, I would say its really helpful to create a schedule for yourself. Youâll see that you can get a lot done in a day and still have tons of scheduled time to relax and rot in bed. But remember that rotting in bed feels soo much better when you know you spent some time making your life better. Doing nothing will make your day feel empty and meaningless. And it gets harder to get out of because you get used to it. Even spending an hour on a goal is an accomplishment. Even if you spent 10 hours on your phone, and one hour on a goal, in a year you would have way more going for you than if you spent all day on your phone. Most people are awake for 16 hours, so you could spend 8 hours being productive and still have around 8 hours to relax in bed. Schedule your day so you get a lot of relaxing breaks, so work doesnât feel so painful. Stick to a predictable schedule. Make sacrifices in any areas that arenât a priority. Like definitely say no to plans you donât have time/energy for. And donât see days that donât work out as a failure. Like I said, even if you spent 10 hours in bed, just get 1 hour in and count that day as a success. Then you can at least say to yourself that the day couldve been worse. Donât wait for yourself to have more energy, just use the small amount of energy you have because it kind of regenerates itself and the more productive you feel the more energized youâll feel. I also recommend taking as many not destructive substances as necessary to get yourself going like even something like drinking more coffee than usual can give you that initial boost. And antidepressants can really help if you think you might be depressed and arenât on them already
Aug 22, 2024
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i usually start with ordering delivery food. that way i don't need to cook and i also need to get out of bed to take it from the courier.
in the waiting time i take a quick shower, brush my teeth and thinking about what tasks and deadlines i have at the moment and which of them are more important.
then i have breakfast and put something on the background to watch, usually it is "The Big Bang Theory" or "Brooklyn 99". I've watched them a million times so i won't be deeply interested but i also have something that kills the silence and don't make me go back into my head. I also take my meds and mark this in my tracker
Then i open my work tools, starting with Notion and Figma. I'm planning the day, all tasks that have to be done on laptop and another that require to go outside. If i can't make myself do any work, i turn on Britney Spears â Work Bitch. It usually helps but if i still can't do work, I'm doing anything else. I'm finding references for projects, planning the rest of the week, sending CV to different positions, all that kind of stuff. Or if i have time, i put on some nice clothes and go to work outside at the cafe or library.
In the evening i have supper, clean up the mess i little bit and go to bed.
The trick is to do everything like a robot, just get into routine with the empty head. It always helps me to get things done
Aug 24, 2024
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I do not like body horror and did not like this movie. Perhaps the inverse will prove true for you. I had to go bowling after because I needed to move my body to Stop thinking about that one scene. Directed by Julia Ducournau, who also directed Raw.
Mar 20, 2024
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By Fyodor freaking Dostoevsky
Ever heard of it??? Iâm still in the crimeâŚwaiting for the punishment.
Mar 18, 2024
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Jun 8, 2024
