Skyler's Thoughts #8: Getting the funk back
How to get back to your routine and escape the downward spiral
I spent a while staring at a blank editor unsure of what I should write about. Not for lack of ideas, I’ve got a backlog of maybe two dozen topics I want to write about but none of them really excited me? This is also my first time writing in more than 3 months - a bit longer than the biweekly to monthly cadence I was hoping to achieve.
So what gives?
Well, I’d say it’s officially a funk. Induced by… I’m not really sure the root cause.
One thing that’s certain is I’ve been working a lot recently at my really awesome job at Nautical Commerce where each new problem I face feels a little more surmountable than the last one and each week I understand more than the week previous about the tech, the domain, and the customer’s problems. That should be encouraging not a contributing factor to a funk.
The crux of the “why” is sort of a flywheel of related causes where each leads to neglecting important other aspects of life that keep you grounded (as mentioned in my previous edition about making time for passions). Here’s the breakdown:
I’m working more hours than previous jobs because my company moves fast and my coworkers are really smart and incredibly effective. If I want to try to keep up, I have to work hard (and sometimes longer too). That many working hours means I’m dedicating less time to working out spinning, in the gym, walking etc. (negative)
Working out has a plethora of benefits like reducing stress, increased endorphins, physical strength, and in general feeling good about yourself. It’s a positive spoke in a flywheel (positive)
Less working out means I am more sedentary (sitting at my desk all day, not always taking a proper lunch break or mid day exercise) which sucks up my energy that I would need to work out after a long day (another negative)
I’ll supplement what I’m lacking from working out with snacking to satisfy my cravings and without working out, those calories that give me a temporary dopamine hit will make me sluggish and out of shape in the long run. Eating poorly is a vicious cycle of tiny monkey brain drug hits (another negative)
More work leaves less time for passions, side projects, planning a wedding, house shopping etc. All of those non-work things help you to feel happier, more productive, and less stressed (yet another negative)
More junk food, more work, less workouts, less productivity is my funk flywheel
Actions I am taking to get out of this funk
Action 1
Acknowledge it. You have to realize something is wrong before you can take a step towards fixing it.
Action 2
Pre-schedule your workouts. If you book your classes and put your workouts in your calendar it’s going to be harder to ignore them. This will force you to shut off when it’s time to go. You can always come back to your work afterwards or an added benefit is better sleep so you can wake up earlier, less groggy, and start your day out on the right foot. Don’t get cold feet and let anything get in the way of your workout.
Action 3
Meal prep and pre-made meals. This one is tough to get into but once your routine is set, it’s harder to fall out of it. Either take your Sunday evenings to watch HBO and make some meals or bases for meals for the coming week. It doesn’t have to be kale salad and quinoa for every meal, you can agree that on Tuesday night you’re making burgers and pick up the meat, buns, pickles etc so it’s a quick 20 minute meal.
But this is two birds with one stone scenario: You’ve already figured out the meal so there’s no decision paralysis and by having a “junk” meal every few meals you still get that good dopamine we so desperately seek.
Also consider a week or two of HelloFresh or another meal delivery service, it’s not always cost effective but they offer quick meals with all the ingredients delivered to you and you can keep the recipes to make again with variations of your choosing!
Action 4
Reach out to friends or share with your partner, just by telling them you’re having a mediocre time you are sharing the load of the burden. If your friends are net positive people, they can give you some of that energy that might help you reverse the flywheel. It’s also more fun to work out with friends, have dinner together, or try a new activity. Good friends are worth their weight in gold in scenarios like this.
My friends and I have recently started a standing social club every 2nd Friday. We plan an activity and whoever can attend comes that week. We have a group chat dedicated ONLY to making plans for that group so it doesn’t get polluted with memes and discourse and inevitably muted ha!
Action 5
I love a new workout, a new restaurant, an experience you’ve never done before. As always these are better with friends but doing something new can help to reverse the flywheel. At worst you’ve discovered something you do not enjoy and at best you’ve discovered a new passion!
Actionable Tip
Lots of tips given in this newsletter already but here is what I want you to take away:
Check in with yourself and ask how you’re really doing. Are you unknowingly drowning in the monotony of your day to day and just haven’t figured it out? You might be absolutely thriving or maybe you realize you need a switch up to get out of your funk
Sorry it took so long to get a new edition out, I can’t force myself to write things unless I feel strongly about them. So I’m taking this situation as “a curse that is a blessing in disguise”.
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Until the next one.