Roads Go Ever On 20: Making time
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When I was around 20 and stupid and kind of a shit, I was very into working out. I didnāt particularly enjoy the act but I did like saying that I worked out. And whenever it came up and people said they didnāt have time, I was quite obnoxious about saying, āWell I make time for it because I prioritize it.ā
Hahahahha. Honestly, Past Amy. What a jerk.Ā
I thought of this recently as Duolingo sent me a passive aggressive notification about practicing: āItās only 5 minutes.ā True! My daily Spanish lessons donāt take long. But when seemingly countless things during the day take āonlyā a certain amount of time, they add up. If I meditate with Calm, thatās 10 minutes. If I work out, thatās anywhere from 40 minutes to over an hour. Cleaning litter boxes? 5 minutes. Making the bed? 2 minutes maybe, but I donāt do it in some futile act of reclaiming a miniscule amount of time. Then thereās 8 hours of work 5 days a week, because capitalism. And I donāt even have a family!
Making time is not as easy as my past self thoughtāeven if youāre prioritizing something. We only have so much time, and if you make room for everything, youāll just wring yourself dry. Especially if you donāt rest.Ā An empty husk doesnāt have energy for any activity, not even pleasing the annoying Duolingo owl.
So I guess what Iām saying is: try to be kinder to yourself. Ask for a little bit less of yourself and see if it makes a difference. Maybe thatās letting whatever streak in whatever app lapse, or leaving the bed a mess in favor of resting, or taking an actual break for lunch instead of eating a sandwich with Slack open on your phone.
We canāt create more time; letās be good to ourselves with the time we have.
š my book things š
I have things maybe happening for new projects?!Ā Soā¦ thatās all I can say. Weāll see what happens. Writing books involves a lot of waiting. So. Much. Waiting. Though while weāre here I will also remind you my next book, Star Wars: Battles That Changed the Galaxy, will be here October 12 and is available for preorder.
If youād like a signed copy of any of my books, get in touch with Malapropās! Iāll scoot over and sign/personalize it for you.
šŗ what I'm watching šŗ
Wellington Paranormal
If you like What We Do in the Shadows, both the film and the TV series, turn on Wellington Paranormal as soon as you can. Itās a spinoff from Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi and though itās already aired for 3 seasons in New Zealand, it only just got US distribution. You can watch it on The CW or HBO Max. You follow two polite doofuses that make up the paranormal unit of Wellington PD, and they try very hard to be good at their jobs. It makes me laugh out loud regularly. Iām also rewatching WWDITS, which has the same effect.
The Green Knight
Okay, I sat alone in a theater and screened this movie in early July and I rewatched it last weekend. David Lowery directed and wrote the film, an adaptation of the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Donāt go in expecting swashbuckling. The Green Knight moves at a slow pace as it follows Gawain on his quest to confront the titular Green Knight. Itās haunting but not scary and the cinematography is stunning. (If youāre curious, I interviewed Lowery about the movie and also the ending).
š what I'm reading š
Where to even start?! Iām going to limit myself to highlighting 3 recent books.
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
I've been wanting to reread The Wheel of Time books for ages, and the upcoming Amazon series encouraged me to get a move on. It's been... 15 years? Ever since Knife of Dreams came out. The first 100 pages were a struggle, but I settled back in soon enough and wooboy, I forgot that the action does not stop once things pick up. I'm so happy to be around Moiraine and Mat and Perrin and everyone. Anyway the first book is a thickboi epic fantasy and the series has 14 books, so you may be like, "Hard pass, I'd like to live my life." But itās worth committing. And if youād like to learn a little more about the world before you say yes, I wrote a basic overview.
Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall
A rom-com set against a fictional version of Great British Bake-Off?! I was sold from the description but then Rosaline and the whole cast pretty much stole my heart. Rosaline is discovering her purpose, finding love, and really just in a general getting shit together mode and not taking shit from anyone, and I appreciate it. CW: does contain a description of attempted sexual assault (also noted at the front of the book, which I appreciate).
Float Plan by Trish Doller
Okay, this has an intense premise that I won't sugarcoat. A woman's fiancĆ© dies by suicide and as she grieves, she decides to take his boat on a long sail through the Atlantic as they had once planned to do together. Sheās not what I would call an experienced sailor though? But fret not, she meets a stranger, who helpfully knows the ins and outs of sailing. It goes into a lot of processing Feelings with a side of gorgeous travel escape, and a v. cute dog.
š³ something whalesome š³
I like wholesome things and the whale emoji is cute so: whalesome!
So Jason Sudeikis is basically Ted Lasso IRL. This article made me feel like goo in a good way.
š creativity corner š
Here Iāll share tips and tricks that are helping me write, imagine, and/or stay productive.
Letās jump back to what I said earlier about making time. If youāre constantly wondering āwhere the eff is my day going?ā keep a running list of what you do. Include every little thing (okay, maybe not when you go to the bathroom). Try this out for a week and see if what, if anything, you can let go. If you canāt find one thing to let go, look back through your list and consider these questions: will my well being or someone elseās be affected if I donāt do X? If not, think about dropping it.
š quote of the week š
āWe sidestep ourselves in order to move forward.ā - Ocean Vuong, On Earth Weāre Briefly Gorgeous
First of all, read On Earth Weāre Briefly Gorgeous (yes I managed to mention another book). In a book of sentences so delicate they feel like silk but so strong you know they couldnāt be torn, this quote stood out. Weāre in our own damn way so much.
And finally an update: This newsletter is now going to be once a month, as that just makes the most sense for me right now. Feel free to reply and let me know how youāre doing! And if you feel so inclined, you can buy me a Ko-fi.
The most powerful thing for us to figure out is the word "no". Time management is, really, about learning how to say no to all those things that pull at us. I'm still working on that.