Day 529: Compartmentalizing different tasks
Different work in different places
I’ve heard this advice before, but I never really thought how I could put it into practice, and then I did it by accident today. While I can do my Japanese flashcards on my phone most of the time, when I have to figure out mnemonics for new kanji, I usually like to do this on my computer since I’m searching for mnemonics on the Wanikani and Kanji Koohi websites and then copying or typing them into Anki. I also tend to like doing my grammar SRS on my computer since I have to type in the answers for the cloze flashcards on the Bunpro website.
However today I happened to bring my iPad and bluetooth keyboard to the dining room table while I was eating breakfast. I did my flashcards on my phone, but I also have Anki on my iPad, and my flashcards sync between the two. I opened up my iPad to add some new mnemonics to Anki using a cheap bluetooth keyboard that I just bought.
Then it occurred to me that I could do my grammar SRS using my bluetooth keyboard, so I did that at the dining room table, also.
When I finished breakfast (and my Japanese study) and sat down at my computer, it seemed different. Mentally, I felt strangely more prepared to start work. And I realized it was because I had already finished doing my Japanese study at the dining room table.
Usually, I’ll sit down at the computer and do my Japanese study for about 45-60 minutes before I start work. But since I’d already completed my Japanese study before I even sat down at the computer, I felt more focused and mentally clear-headed. It was kind of like that feeling when I’ve cleaned my office or cleared my computer desktop.
Since I’d finished non-writing business before sitting at my computer, I guess it was like I’d created a more specialized space for my work. It was like both physical and mental compartmentalization.
I think I read in a productivity book (maybe it was 5,000 Words Per Hour) that this is a “turtle enclosure,” or a way to separate my writing workspace from other tasks in order to help me switch mental modes faster and easier. It hadn’t occurred to me to try to do this before because I hadn’t really realized that I could do my Japanese study at the dining room table (if I tried to do it without my bluetooth keyboard, it would have been a huge pain and a lesson in frustration).
it wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t gotten that bluetooth keyboard that could connect to my iPad, and if Anki hadn’t been able to sync so easily between phone, computer, and iPad. The Anki flashcards app for my iPad/phone had been a little expensive when I first got it years ago, but now I’m glad I spent the money.
I’m going to try to continue to do my Japanese at the dining room table during breakfast and see if that helps me shift into work mode more easily.
Continued my streaks
I actually didn’t feel very well when I woke up today because I hadn’t slept very well. It’s frustrating because my IBS is feeling better, but I’m still tired from lack of sleep and maybe from the physical stress of battling the pain yesterday. I’m not pain-free today, but it’s much better than yesterday, and I’m hopeful I’ll soon feel back to normal.
Despite feeling tired, I decided to do a sprint each of writing and blocking, in order to keep up my streaks. I feel guilty that I bad-mouthed the streaks earlier, but at the time I had been struggling to keep up a streak while not feeling very well at all. Now that I’m feeling better and it’s easier to do work during the day, it’s easier to keep up the streak and it’s even a bit motivating to work to build those numbers up. I hope I can get them up into triple digits this time.
I still don’t know what I can reward myself with for streak milestones, but for now, I’ll just see how high I can go.
***
Writing: Time spent: 23 minutes
Writing: Total number of words: 537 words
Writing: Overall writing speed: 1416 words/hour
Editing: Time spent: 0
Writing streak: 9 days
Blocking: time spent: 32 minutes
Blocking streak: 3 days
Time spent doing other writing-related business: 0
My takeaway for today: Do your Japanese study at the dining room table with your iPad and bluetooth keyboard, to compartmentalize it both physically and mentally apart from the writing.
I’ve heard this advice before, but I never really thought how I could put it into practice, and then I did it by accident today. While I can do my Japanese flashcards on my phone most of the time, when I have to figure out mnemonics for new kanji, I usually like to do this on my computer since I’m searching for mnemonics on the Wanikani and Kanji Koohi websites and then copying or typing them into Anki. I also tend to like doing my grammar SRS on my computer since I have to type in the answers for the cloze flashcards on the Bunpro website.
However today I happened to bring my iPad and bluetooth keyboard to the dining room table while I was eating breakfast. I did my flashcards on my phone, but I also have Anki on my iPad, and my flashcards sync between the two. I opened up my iPad to add some new mnemonics to Anki using a cheap bluetooth keyboard that I just bought.
Then it occurred to me that I could do my grammar SRS using my bluetooth keyboard, so I did that at the dining room table, also.
When I finished breakfast (and my Japanese study) and sat down at my computer, it seemed different. Mentally, I felt strangely more prepared to start work. And I realized it was because I had already finished doing my Japanese study at the dining room table.
Usually, I’ll sit down at the computer and do my Japanese study for about 45-60 minutes before I start work. But since I’d already completed my Japanese study before I even sat down at the computer, I felt more focused and mentally clear-headed. It was kind of like that feeling when I’ve cleaned my office or cleared my computer desktop.
Since I’d finished non-writing business before sitting at my computer, I guess it was like I’d created a more specialized space for my work. It was like both physical and mental compartmentalization.
I think I read in a productivity book (maybe it was 5,000 Words Per Hour) that this is a “turtle enclosure,” or a way to separate my writing workspace from other tasks in order to help me switch mental modes faster and easier. It hadn’t occurred to me to try to do this before because I hadn’t really realized that I could do my Japanese study at the dining room table (if I tried to do it without my bluetooth keyboard, it would have been a huge pain and a lesson in frustration).
it wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t gotten that bluetooth keyboard that could connect to my iPad, and if Anki hadn’t been able to sync so easily between phone, computer, and iPad. The Anki flashcards app for my iPad/phone had been a little expensive when I first got it years ago, but now I’m glad I spent the money.
I’m going to try to continue to do my Japanese at the dining room table during breakfast and see if that helps me shift into work mode more easily.
Continued my streaks
I actually didn’t feel very well when I woke up today because I hadn’t slept very well. It’s frustrating because my IBS is feeling better, but I’m still tired from lack of sleep and maybe from the physical stress of battling the pain yesterday. I’m not pain-free today, but it’s much better than yesterday, and I’m hopeful I’ll soon feel back to normal.
Despite feeling tired, I decided to do a sprint each of writing and blocking, in order to keep up my streaks. I feel guilty that I bad-mouthed the streaks earlier, but at the time I had been struggling to keep up a streak while not feeling very well at all. Now that I’m feeling better and it’s easier to do work during the day, it’s easier to keep up the streak and it’s even a bit motivating to work to build those numbers up. I hope I can get them up into triple digits this time.
I still don’t know what I can reward myself with for streak milestones, but for now, I’ll just see how high I can go.
***
Writing: Time spent: 23 minutes
Writing: Total number of words: 537 words
Writing: Overall writing speed: 1416 words/hour
Editing: Time spent: 0
Writing streak: 9 days
Blocking: time spent: 32 minutes
Blocking streak: 3 days
Time spent doing other writing-related business: 0
My takeaway for today: Do your Japanese study at the dining room table with your iPad and bluetooth keyboard, to compartmentalize it both physically and mentally apart from the writing.
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