Last week’s post was all about where I’ve been living (Koh Phangan, an island in the south of Thailand), and this week’s post is all about what I’m doing. As well as some news on this blog, and a request for a little action from you.
Learning what works for me
People always seem fascinated by what I actually do with my time. And I guess given it’s so different from the ‘typical’ 9-5 (or 7-7!) life of many of my peers, I can imagine why.
After a year or more of living like this, I know my self a lot better, and what works for me and what doesn’t. I prefer some structure, and I like to be clear on my priorities for the day, for the week. I’m not great at relaxing, but I get energy from achieving goals and milestones, and I’d be bored if I didn’t have anything to do. My development needs are to make sure I balance all this ‘doing’ time with ‘being’ time.
My priorities are to: focus on health; earn enough money to live comfortably; continue developing and growing.
Morning ritual
I have a ‘morning ritual’ which consists of a set of activities built around the keystone habit of morning pages (1000 words of free writing). I get up about 6.30 or 7am, and after showering and dressing, I go onto my balcony with my breakfast, which is always a plain 2 egg omelette. I’ve been experimenting lately with black tea as well, as my current place has the luxury of a kettle. While I write my morning pages I eat my omelette, usually treating myself to 1-2 bites every 100 words, to make sure the eating doesn’t distract me.
Look, I never said I wasn’t weird – I just said I would tell you how I spend my time…
Oh, and I turn the wifi off at night, so that when I turn on my computer and work I’m not immediately caught up in emails. I don’t turn the wifi on until the 1000 words, as well as my health tracking spreadsheet, are complete. Then I go online, and cycle through my inboxes, Facebook, the stats on my websites, and anything else that needs a quick check. I have tried to discipline myself not to get sucked into email at this point – I work through my emails as per my Inbox Zero rules, deal with quick stuff, file, delete and put into my ‘action’ folder for later.
This usually takes until about 8.15am, at which point I do some yoga practice. This is a lot more consistent after working out a practice which involves some effort, but not too much, so that I don’t keep overdoing it and crashing, and then not doing any for a few days. I spend some time in asanas (postures), and some time doing meditation. I’m working on being able to listen to my body so I am better equipped to sense what it needs at any point. The meditation is helping with this, as well as doing a 15 minute ‘body scan’ every day, (not this one but I thought you might like an example).
After practice, I write another 1000 words on fun personal project, and then, when it’s late morning, I go to my favourite coffee shop. I tried giving up coffee for about 5 weeks to see if it made a difference to my health, but having done that I’ve decided the cost-benefit isn’t worth it – I love good coffee, and as long as I stick to one a day, and ideally in the morning, it doesn’t impact me. So I have a cappuccino and fruit, yoghurt and muesli for lunch, while writing longer emails, writing blog posts (I’m writing this in the coffee shop in fact, cappuccino next to me!), and other administrative things.
The yoga school
I’m continuing on in my yoga studies here at Agama, and I’m on Level 6 now. I have two 4-hour classes a week (they usually have 1-2 hours of lecture/discussion and 2-3 hours of practice), so I don’t do my personal practice on those days. In the evenings, the yoga school also has lectures, q and a sessions with the senior teachers, as well as bahjans (devotional singing), film nights, various rituals and activities, and many other things. There’s rarely a time when there’s nothing to do!
I’m also volunteering at the moment on a project to edit the course notes from all the (24) levels, retreats and workshops that the school has (a LOT of words, I’m part of a team, don’t worry) which benefit from native English speakers reviewing them. That’s been interesting for me personally as it means I am really engaging with the texts and philosophies in detail, plus it fits my skill set (pedantic and detail-orientated) so feels good.
Paid work
I aim to do about 8 days of paid work a month. I know, I know, I’m very lucky, don’t shut this post in outrage. So far this year I am about on track, although I am three days behind in April – I have a week of work booked in China next week, but I still need another three days on top of that. Hopefully as the month unfolds I will get back on track.
It’s been different for me being a freelancer. Whether or not I will get enough work definitely preoccupies me. I have a reasonable spread (geographically as well as client-wise), and it seems to be ok so far. But it’s on my mind. If I’m doing a project working from home, I try to spread it out so I don’t do a ‘full day’ in one day, as that makes it less like work and more relaxed. Plus, as I’ve mentioned, working from a hammock, whilst not totally practical full time, is good once in a while.
Social activities
As above, the yoga school is pretty sociable, with so many activities and a community of a few hundred people from all over the world at any one time. It can be hard to see good friends come and go, and indeed, come and go yourself, but there are many interesting and friendly travellers here, all with their own unique and colourful story, and they are usually focused on their own development given their interest in yoga. I’ve made some great friends here.
I try and make sure I skype friends and family from home too, as those long term connections are so important, and I miss the comfort of the friend who knows your backstory, your mistakes and how you’ve grown, and loves you anyway. I don’t want to be ‘the friend that time forgot’, though the 6 hour time difference can make fitting in with others’ schedules challenging.
Continuing development
I continue to read a lot (see GoodReads panel to the right of the blog for what I’m reading at the moment), a good variety. I usually have at least one non-fiction book for development as well as some fun fiction on the go. Plus I sometimes have some more ‘duty’ fiction – at the moment I’m reading Walden, but although some of the ideas are interesting, I find it quite turgid – mainly because one paragraph can last two densely packed pages of text. I slog on with it…
I’m also doing another fascinating course, this time around online business. This is supporting my thinking around how to blend my online and offline skills in some kind of portfolio career, enabling me to keep a similar kind of life going wherever I live in the world. I would say this is very much a work in progress, but all the information and skills I am learning will help me in whatever I end up doing, I am sure. No, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, but I know more about what I enjoy and what I don’t enjoy.
A little news
I’ve been writing this blog for 16 months now, and this is my 66th post, publishing weekly. I love writing it, and connecting with you all out there. But with my other blog, and many other projects on the horizon, I’ve decided to publish something every two weeks from now on. This retains the regularity, discipline, and opportunity to do something I love, without the pressure.
I’m very keen to know what type of post most interests you, and if there are any particular topics you’d love me to write about. Obviously I have the stats, which help, but I’m really keen on gathering some ‘reader feedback’ too.
So I’m asking you all to write me a quick comment below NOW, telling me:
1) What kind of posts you enjoy most
2) What you would like me to write about in future posts
With thanks, and wishing you a wonderful week wherever you are in the world.
PS – you may also enjoy my second article published on TinyBuddha.com: 3 Vital Lessons on Living a Life that Won’t Lead to Regret
johnbardos says
You have a rough life Ellen. 🙂
Ellen Uma Bard says
Haha, well, your life’s not so bad either… 🙂
El D says
Your self-discipline makes me feel inadequate, Ellen! I prefer reading about life in Thailand, the people, the culture, the customs, the differences you’ve noticed. And how about a Special Feature? Birds of Thailand?! A El x (P.S. I tried that yoga thing of clutching one hand with the other behind my back but could only do it on one side. What does that mean?!)
Ellen Uma Bard says
Thanks! Not so sure about birds of Thailand (I do look out for them for you, but I’m afraid they’re always too quick for me!), but the other stuff I will keep in mind.
As to your Gomukhasana (cow muzzle pose!!!), the yogis would say it was a sign of imbalance in your yin and yang, your ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine sides’ (left = feminine, right = masculine). Polarity is determined by which elbow is in the air (so, if you left elbow is in the air at the top, it’s the lunar/feminine/yin pose). Most people aren’t balanced on both sides…Draw your own conclusions! (It is good for your lungs though, so spend some time in it given you have that nasty cough!) x
tess bullas says
I like the posts like today’s where you tell us about your daily life – I still find it amazing that you’ve managed to totally change the way you live! So more of the same for me. . . . . Love Tess xx
Ellen Uma Bard says
Thanks! And yes, sometimes it shocks me too, the difference in my life now versus then… thanks for sharing x
rachelfsinclair says
Agreed – more of the same please 🙂 I love your self discipline, so hearing how you set up your day is inspiring me to not lose faith in my own routine (or lack thereof!) x
Ellen Uma Bard says
Thank you Rachel, there are definitely days when the self-discipline is more flexible, but it all seems to be working ok at the moment…I really recommend The Power of Habit if you want to increase self-discipline, it’s really interesting and useful. But you do have a full time job to deal with…! x
rachelfsinclair says
Thanks for the recommendation! 😀
Bronwyn Joy @ Journeys Of The Fabulist says
I’m not sure what type of post to advise you to write – this one obviously got my click! – but it sounds like you have a nice routine going. I like the idea of turning off wifi at night.
Ellen Uma Bard says
Thanks! I try to break out of routine sometimes, but I definitely like some things stable – it helps when you’re moving or travelling a lot… And turning wifi off at night really helps me start the day in a grounded, mindful way, rather than just Facebooking my way out of bed 🙂
travell1ngthroughl1fe says
Keep up the good work. You have the lifestyle I have been aiming towards but to date I am still not able to reduce my working hours much as I have no other form of income and wages are low here for my line.
I am a a people skills trainer & small business developer, predominantly through customer service and direct sales but I find it difficult to get regular and ongoing work,
You seem to be doing well in this area although you are obviously in quite a different line of work . I may not get it due to the nature my business or my location currently (India) but people do not seem to want to pay for people to be trained anymore.
I also do Reiki and am thinkng that may be the better way to get work but am starting to consider maybe it is where I live that is the main issue.
I would be very interested in knowing how you get your clients and from where they hear about you. It would be great if you can blog about that at some time.
Ellen Uma Bard says
Thanks! I haven’t done any work in India, partly because I think as you say the wages are quite low. Mostly I manage to work in countries which pay well, but I live in the cheaper places like Thailand. There’s not loads of work to be had, but I don’t need so much to keep me going. I got my work through the networks I have built over many years of working with people in my business – I use LinkedIn a lot to keep my connections strong (and I am lucky enough to have a lot of recommendations etc), and I have started a professional blog for my credibility and online presence so people who don’t know me can find a bit about me. That’s a work in progress and will be developing over time! You can find it at http://managedevelopinspire.com
In terms of the more alternative health practices, I live in a yoga community where people trade services frequently, and it’s also a place where there is a good strong market for yoga, healing, etc etc. That would definitely be something to look into, to make sure you have a market for your skills. Hope that helps a bit!