So, here it is — 2012.
Did you see the fireworks over the Thames on New Year’s Eve? 12,000 of them costing £274,000, with a publicised total display setback of £1.9 million.
We live in extraordinary times, in an extraordinary world.
With the festivities over, the global financial crisis deepening and the steady slip of world affairs, there’s much we could all sit and fret about.
A sense of balance
Whatever this year brings, it’s becoming all the more important to maintain a sense of personal life balance.
Surely we all should be getting ourselves in-check — establishing clear personal values and the will to make a positive difference in the lives of those around us.
If things are to get better, there can be no place for selfishness, greed, dishonesty or disregard for those less fortunate than ourselves.
Do you give these things any head-space, in relation to the life you lead? Many people I meet say they don’t, at least not beyond paying the bills and protecting their local life bubble. It’s so easy to simply let life pass you by. As the old adage goes: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”.
Maybe 2012 is your chance to embark upon a search for true and lasting personal significance, to become assured of why you’re here and where you’re headed.
There must be more to life, right?
Back to basics
What are your New Year Resolutions? In the midst of world chaos, I’ve decided to re-establish the basics of balance in my life.
- Get a proper amount of sleep
- Learn to live frugally, better appreciating the things I already have
- Continue working smarter, keeping work at work
- Write more — thoughts, ideas, stories — things that help me reflect upon and understand what’s both within and around
- Learn to replace TV watching with more paper-based book reading
- Go pixel-free at weekends, including the smartphone
- Take the kids to the park at least once a week
- Increase my photography portfolio and sell more work
- Achieve a sub 3:30 marathon time on April 15th
- Master Latte art (perhaps a bridge too far?!)
Most importantly, learn to single-task — slow down a little — take time away from the digital to focus on the physical again. Local surroundings can be beautiful, all the more so without the distraction of a smartphone in your pocket.
New focus
Over the next few site entries, I’ll be focusing on the principles and disciplines required to achieve the resolutions I’ve listed above. This will be as much to help me, personally, as to interest anyone stumbling upon symmetrify.com.
There’s nothing ground-breaking here
I realise there’s nothing ground-breaking within my list, but that’s partly the point. This is about basic living in the reality of the present moment.
In the midst of all our striving — the fight for survival — it’s easy to lose touch with the fundamentals of life. Ultimately it’s only these that can bring lasting calm, and provide a true sense of purpose and satisfaction. Trouble is we’re fast losing touch with them.
Hey, time to lighten the mood again…
Sleeping’s about as basic as it gets
No matter what great intentions I have, lack of sleep always diminishes motivation and ultimately induces failure.
I was always pretty good at getting my 8 hours a night. That was until I became a dad and started my own business. Time spent asleep rapidly diminished to 5 hours a night or less, and has never really improved since.
Some people might become a little indignant at this, saying:
5 hours? That’s plenty – I only need 4 hours!
Well, good for them. Unfortunately I’m not one of those people. In simple terms, I’ve an overactive mind that needs time to defragment, a little like a computer. 4 hours will never cut it.
And then there are the people who will say:
Me? I’ve never had a problem with sleep. No matter where I am, or what’s on my mind, my head hits the pillow and I’m in dreamland within 5 minutes.
I’d love to know their secret.
Over the years
I’ve tried much to improve the sleep situation over the past few years, including:
- Going to bed pre–11pm every night, and making this a daily habit
- Keeping paid work within strict working hours
- Not checking emails after a certain hour
- Getting at least 30 mins physical exercise a day
- Changing my diet — sugar free, caffeine free, refined foods free, with lots of veg/fruit and plenty of water, etc
Some things work for a while, but Mr Wide-Awake soon returns.
As a keen runner and cyclist, my hope has always been that a major benefit might be the inducement of a decent night’s sleep, everyday. The reality? It’s not enough, in fact it frequently makes sleeping more difficult.
Runner’s World
I’m a subscriber to Runner’s World magazine. I find it a great motivator, not least as it’s packed full of down–to–earth training, nutrition and lifestyle tips from everyday people. The latest edition — February 2012 — includes an article called ‘Put your mind to rest…’.
In the opening paragraph, the author writes:
…the most annoying heckle a runner must endure has to be, “Blimey! You’ll sleep well tonight!” Unoriginal, unfunny and not even true, because a tiring run is actually no guarantee of a peaceful night’s sleep.
Yep, I concur.
Why am I telling you this? Well, the article also includes a helpful ‘countdown to 40 winks’…
- 120 mins before bed: stop running
- 90 mins before bed: turn of TV, computer and smartphone
- 75 mins before bed: have a warm bath
- 60 mins before bed: finish eating
- 30 mins before bed: snuggle down and read a book
- 0 mins: time to turn out the lights and drift off
So, back to my list. The first of my 2012 resolutions is to try improving my sleep pattern, through adherence to the steps above.
I’ll also include a few things of my own, for good measure…
- Get to bed at a sensible hour — recommend turning the lights out by 11pm or earlier. This means quitting TV/computer/smartphone by 9pm — now there’s a challenge in itself!
- Leave the smartphone and laptop downstairs — don’t sleep with them near the bed
- Avoid sugary foods and drinks in the evening
- Sleep with a pen and paper next to the bed — if anything’s on your mind, write it down and then forget about it (I find this really helpful)
- Read/watch the news in the morning, not the evening — it can bring unease and restlessness, when the opposite’s required
Happy New Year!
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