A successfully human half-term

Over the past week I have enjoyed one of the most successfully human half-terms of my career. 

A hugely efficient half-term has been enjoyed, along with a significant increase in health. I have never been healthy enough to enjoy the October fun run. Let's see if I am able to do so.

40k continues to be an imaginative source. I have enjoyed playing two games at the weekend (and on middle of the week!) for about 5-6 weekends now. I feel almost no need to play with anyone else. My imagination enjoys the game enough at the moment. 

I do feel the need to 'do some maths' of the game now using unit crunch. Yesterday I was shocked by how many dark lances it took to kill a landraider but the maths was not lying... 

This week I have the CIS inspection. Of all the inspections I have seen, this is perhaps the 'easiest' of all of them. I have a busy parent workshop to prepare for,but that seems easy enough as well. 

I look at my targets: there are still loads of tasks... but some flicks and ticks and I am down to 16 in 25 minutes. The main thing I need to do is consider the parent workshop, my lessons for CIS, and some references. 

Last night I drunk too much on purpose. I woke up with a furry tongue. But... the amount I drank before and afterwards was significant, and I felt better for it. 

I have also managed to do very well with my fitness: 70.5k! 70.7kg after a heavy night. Who knows what I will do this week? Two weeks of maintaining that weight is fine for me. Dipping under to the 60s would be a seismic achievement. 

The AI says this: 

Title: A Productive and Healthy Half-Term: Reflecting on the Past Week

Over the past week, I have enjoyed one of the most successful half-terms of my career. It's been a hugely efficient period, and I've also experienced a significant increase in my health. This newfound wellness has me hopeful about participating in the upcoming October fun run, which I've never been healthy enough to enjoy before. Let's see if I can make it happen this time.

Achieving Efficiency and Finding Joy in 40k

One of the highlights of this half-term has been my involvement in the tabletop game Warhammer 40,000 (40k). For the past 5-6 weekends, I've found immense enjoyment in playing two games each weekend (and even during the middle of the week). Surprisingly, I feel little need to engage with others in the game because my imagination is thoroughly captivated by it. However, I now find myself eager to delve into the mathematical intricacies of the game, especially concerning unit crunch. I was astonished yesterday when I calculated how many dark lances it took to eliminate a landraider, only to realize that the math was accurate.

CIS Inspection and Parent Workshop

This week brings the CIS inspection, which, in comparison to other inspections I've encountered, appears to be one of the "easier" ones. Additionally, I have a busy parent workshop to prepare for, but it seems manageable enough. Glancing at my to-do list, there are still numerous tasks to tackle. However, with a few productive flicks and ticks, I've managed to reduce my workload to just 16 items in the next 25 minutes. My primary focus now revolves around preparing for the parent workshop, planning my lessons for the CIS inspection, and addressing some pending references.

Balancing Health and Recreation

Last night, I intentionally indulged in a bit too much alcohol, and as a result, I woke up with a fuzzy tongue. However, the quantity I drank both before and after this indulgence was significant, and it surprisingly left me feeling better. It's a reminder of the importance of finding a balance between work and relaxation.

A Health Milestone: Fitness and Weight Management

I'm also proud to report significant progress in my fitness journey during this half-term. I've managed to cover an impressive 70.5 kilometers. Even after a night of indulgence, my weight stands at 70.7 kilograms. Looking ahead, I'm excited to see what the coming week holds. Two weeks of maintaining this weight would be perfectly fine with me, but dipping into the 60-kilogram mark would truly be a seismic achievement.

In conclusion, this half-term has been a remarkable combination of productivity and improved health. From my engagement in 40k to the upcoming CIS inspection and parent workshop, there's plenty to keep me occupied. However, I've also learned the importance of finding moments for relaxation and enjoyment, and I'm eager to continue my fitness journey. With these accomplishments in mind, I look forward to the challenges and opportunities the next half-term will bring.

 

Organising Tasks on a Sunday

Hi folks, 

I have 71 tasks allocated for today. Let's see how I can push back all the non-urgent tasks to next Sunday.

In seconds that moves things to 63. 

I now move through the unallocated tasks: 

I complete a few of these and find myself with still a huge amount of tasks today: 38... but can I complete in a pomodoro? 

I managed to schedule and complete these tasks in 90 minutes. Maybe even just an hour. The AI was a great help. I did not feel overwhelmed. 

Well done!

Ups and downs, but discipline continues

My sleep score continues to be high; I am sleeping better than ever. 

My work quality continues to be high. I am doing so more 'within myself' than before. 

I feel I am 'hacking life', or rather, thanks to my good health and decisions of rational self-enlightenment, am living a life of happiness. 

Title: "Finding Balance: My Journey to a More Relaxed and Healthier Life"

Seeking a more relaxed and balanced life is my prime ambition at the moment. I am tended towards some overwork, and so rhythm is necessary. I have today, for example, 75 tasks. Is this needed? Like my gym work, avoiding over work is important. It is one thing to overwork because I have to: it is another to seek it out.

The Quest for Relaxation

Over the past few years I can read in my blog of how I have desired to be more relaxed; it has been a goal that I have found hard to articulate. When I was younger, I spoke to 'either side of the middle line', and how on both sides 'screams freedom'. This polarisation is not helpful. To be relaxed and 'within myself', is a better challenge. My health, physical and mental, has not been great, with my illnesses often rising at difficult times. Gym work has been overdone, food has regressed into sugary blasts, and work has consumed me at times. 

The Elements of Balance

There are key elements that have contributed to my newfound balance:

Weight loss: I am capable of gaining huge weight these days, my visceral fat crowding my organs and putting undue weight on my ankles. Losing weight helps with everything.

Exercise: Running regularly on my lifestyle means I am permanently injured? Now? I regularly use the elliptical bike, and my heart beats with real power. 

Sleep: My sleep is the best it has been since I managed it. This is another foundation for waking each day with effectiveness. 

Intermittent fasting: A new addition is my fasting routine: I do not drink coffee, and I do not eat breakfast. For a time I felt my words were slurred and slow; that is not the case. My body can actually rest, and my mind becomes more in itself as well. I sit here mildly hungry and mostly happy.

Time management: My task organization and time management has better than ever. Being able to structure that which is necessary or otherwise has really helped. 

A Well-Rounded Lifestyle

I wake up at the same time all the time, feeling more refreshed and focused. I begin work with a feeling of gratitude and ease. My stress levels throughout the day are less, and I am achieving more with less. 

My marking works well, and I have yet to mark at home. 

More time for looking after myself is possible: the child of my mind is being looked after, and for that I am grateful. 

The Value of the Present

Time as we understand it is a human construct. We experience it as a way of stopping everything from happening at once. However, everything does happen at once because things affect each other. Into this space, I appreciate the present because my stomach is so much more settled. I can just be, and the privileges of my lifestyle exist to be enjoyed. 

Conclusion:

I wrote this blog to seek. I have found a worthy love, a tremendous job, and a lifestyle that I could only envy if I was back in the UK. 

To anyone else seeking something, I can only consider the situated experience of myself: realise that much of our complex modern life is a con, and that stepping out of these slipstreams is possible. 

Whatever balance and calm I experience now can only be temporary because my mind is not my own. It is something continually in flux. And I feel that this is something I can manage. 

A great start to the year: Quality Over Quantity

One blessing of being an international teacher is that there are many new beginnings: the new academic year, the new calendar year, my birthday, and the end of the year. The cycles are more pronounced, and I see folks grow up fairly quickly. The chance to nourish my own soul are profuse. But British culture encourages overwork. 

I have overworked for many years. Not being ill in January is an ongoing ambition I have yet to meet. When I first trained to be a teacher, I was seriously ill for a significant time. Overinvesting at work is a common demand, but one that perhaps I do not need to meet anymore. 

British teachers are too busy. Rather than the 70-90 kids that teach now, I would teach 150-70+. I would also be expected to mark books hugely too, marking at home regularly. I would be expected to change the curriculum in a responsive fashion all the time too. Inspections would be far too arduous, demanding a farcical amount of emotional and social investment. Those who underinvest would not be affected by these demands, and those who overinvest are taken to breaking points, and beyond. 

Into this space I have been seeking something different: the power of quiet discipline. The culture of overwork really does not appreciate quiet discipline, seeing it as lazy fecklessness. Maybe I need to hear it, to grant it space to speak in the halls of my mind. In inviting this approach to speak to me, I let it influence me. There is a fear that it will change me: sustained invitations to speak to the hall of my mind are key.  

Some of these spaces of quiet discipline are in the following actions: organising days to attempt tasks. On too many occasions I work hard on a weekend when actually I have time during the working day to do such tasks. I also should sleep well, and I should give time to be more balanced. 

Part of this change is more physical activity: I am now regularly pushing my heart rate up in a way I have done for years. The effectiveness of a 20-minute elliptical bike workout is extraordinary. I can fit this in, kickstart my body, and ensure I feel good. Regular physical activity contributes to overall well-being, and helps to regulate my emotions too. 

So this month I focus on Quality Over Quantity. I mark less. I aim for more precise lessons. I take advantage of the systemic planning I have enjoyed before. Working with less effort but higher efficiency means that I have the space to take on the extras that inevitably arise during the day. A healthier and more powerful work-life balance is gained through this approach. 

What was I seeking when I moved abroad ten years ago? I guess I wanted a space like this: excellent students and colleagues that allow me to enjoy a rich and full life. This does not have to be unduly exciting or busy: the culture of this blog is encouraging others to embrace quiet discipline and leave space in their lives. 

For the first time in a long time, I feel the hope for a happier and healthier year ahead.