Placing Easter eggs down the trail
Placing Easter eggs down the trail
#114 - chocolate and cookies, sorry dentists!
Hi there,
Happy Easter Sunday! Not that it’s a festival I really celebrate, but (upon my headteacher’s recommendation following the Speech Day speech) I bought myself an Easter egg this year1 and have looked forward to devouring it this weekend - I’ve finished half of it so far.
It’s been a week of revision and IPL cricket, getting myself motivated to put the hours in, whilst making sure I’m being efficient and also having a break. Dad and I also visited Leamington Spa - my first time - to enjoy some sunshine.
Highlight of the week: doesn't help that it has been an uneventful week but I’ll go for the pair of biryanis I’ve had from local Indian side-hustle family friend businesses. Generous portion sizes - which I’m never complaining about - a good balance of spice and depth, with nice raita to complement: look at me sounding like a MasterChef judge! Anyways, delicious food.
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt about myself this week, it is that I thrive off working with or around people. Whether it’s just the gloomy weather and feeling like I’m stuck at home when Dad’s at work, it’s definitely been an uphill journey at some points this week to get my head down and get some work done. I think why I enjoy working (in lessons) is having people doing work around me as well, and also the implication and accountability they bring.
It has given me a window to test myself and see how I will need to adapt in just under 6 months when I’m at university and the independence it brings. These holidays create a newfound sense of complete freedom over how my time is shaped on any given day. That brings with it the benefits of autonomy and room to prioritise, but also leaves you without structure, after you’re so used to it with school, timetables during the day and a short space of time to do many things in the evenings and arguably weekends.
This absence of routine can be difficult to deal with, opening up the need for lots of intentionality and willpower. I’ve found having certain things to look forward to, at parts of the day to be very powerful.
The IPL matches begin at 2; whilst I haven’t spent any period of 4 hours solely on the match, I’ve been tuning into the first few overs and the end, and I know I can watch something should I get bored. The ‘2nd half of the day’ timing, now improved by the switch to British Summer Time making it 3pm, means I can work off the broad principle of “work in the morning/afternoon, relax in the evening”. I am still doing work in the evenings when the matches finish - I’ve got some STEP to do once I’ve finished our post today - but it’s the general feeling of “I’m giving myself the opportunity to relax, so I need to work hard in the time set aside for work”, the old “Work hard, play hard” adage.
Looking forward can also be mindful
When I went to buy milk on Saturday, I also picked up a batch of 5 milk chocolate cookies. I remember loving them during lockdown and was engaged in a repetitive tug-of-war with Mum whenever I wanted to buy them, due to the sugar content. I’ve been eating them strategically as well, having them alongside my evening mug of milk, 1 a day for the 5 days.2 Seeing it on the kitchen top when I walked past during the day reminded me of the treat I’d evening.
Rekindling this love this week reminds me of my love of the mini-butter-flapjack bites during Q2 2020. I remember making it a ritual to do all my home learning and then eat it whilst watching the daily coronavirus briefing on my computer - what weird things COVID did to us all, eh?
Through Year 13, I’ve fallen into abiding by this rule - have something you’re looking forward to every 2 weeks. It has been a useful idea to hold, when I feel as though I’m missing out on a Friday night, as I solve polar coordinates problems as my peers are at a party. Examples of this include going to Symphony Hall concerts, any school events I want to be a part of, and even whenever CSK (my favourite IPL team) are playing.
The message here is laying out pointers along the marathon where you can pause, look how far you’ve come and reward yourself - mini Easter eggs along your hunt of life, if you will. Having these small things as motivation may not seem consequential when you’re enthused and charged up, but can be very useful when you’re going through a slog.
Make them personal to you, whatever you find enjoyable or appetising. It’s important to make it high-quality fun though, and not just “I’ll do 45 minutes of work and then allow myself to scroll Instagram for 15 minutes” - you’re bound to feel groggy afterwards, not putting you in the right frame of mind to resume work.
In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need to treat ourselves like children who need a gold sticker to do their work. Unfortunately, work can feel like an uphill cycle sometimes. In those ruts of life, which we will inevitably encounter, manufacture something that you can look forward to at the end of the journey, so you can drive towards it, along with the satisfaction of completing the task itself.
Podcast of the week🎙️
More or Less: Behind the Stats - Remembering Daniel Kahnemann
He’s a famous author and economist, but I’ve never delved into his work too much. Here’s a nice summary of his ideas.
Thing I’m grateful for this week 🙏
Cricbuzz Live, the cricket talkshow - it has been a nice background ambience to any dull work or when I’m having lunch
Quote of the week 💬
No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind. - Taylor Swift
And a third of this year is done, it’s gone by very quickly. A big next 3 months ahead, let’s make it count.
Adi
Dairy Milk, can’t beat it. And just £4!
Including when I was writing last week’s post!