Off Rails
So, yesterday went off the rails, and it happened pretty quickly — hence the reason I’m only putting up this post today.
Going into yesterday, I was expecting a complete victory. I had a clear vision in mind, strong motivation, and my emotions were in the right place. But for some reason, things quickly unraveled.
The day didn’t start terribly. I woke up around 5:00 AM but went back to bed and eventually got up closer to 8:00 AM. I can’t remember the exact time. I spent a little time on social media early in the day, but not enough for it to feel addictive or out of control.
Eventually, I sat down at my desk, reviewed my to-do list from the previous day, added a few more tasks, and got started. I checked on the meal prep I had started, realizing I had forgotten to put some things back in the fridge. After breakfast, I began working.
By around 11:00 AM, I was extremely sleepy. Looking back, I think my body simply needed rest. I’m not sure where it came from, but it felt like all my energy suddenly disappeared. I took a nap on the couch and woke up shortly after noon. Then I went to my bedroom, lay down again, and slept until around 3:30 PM.
When I woke up, I continued with the meal prep. Technically, I had already started it before going to sleep — I had prepared the food and turned everything down before heading to bed. Since everything was already out and in progress, it made sense to continue rather than abandon it.
Unfortunately, the productive work session I had planned never happened.
I woke up with a bit of pain and decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. I thought I would at least do some light tidying up and other simple tasks, but apart from the meal prep, nothing else got done. Literally nothing.
Even my entertainment wasn’t intentional. I’m currently watching the TV show S.W.A.T., and I had planned to watch an episode or two. That would have felt somewhat productive because it would have been deliberate entertainment. Instead, I found myself sitting behind the TV watching random YouTube videos. They weren’t even things I had intentionally chosen to watch — the algorithm was simply feeding me content, and I kept consuming it.
So from about 11:00 AM onward, productivity completely disappeared.
The only reason the meal prep got finished was because it had already been started. The ingredients were already out, and putting everything away would have taken almost as much effort as simply finishing the process. It wasn’t a fresh task; it was already underway.
Strictly speaking, after 11:00 AM, the day went downhill, and I wasn’t happy about it.
I eventually fell asleep sometime after midnight.
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Now it’s 6:00 AM today, and I have a full day ahead of me — another opportunity to maximize my time and have a truly productive day. That’s exactly what I’m working toward.
As I reflect on what went wrong yesterday, a few things stand out:
- I didn’t wake up early enough.
- I got onto social media too early in the day.
- I didn’t get sufficient rest the night before.
- My lack of sleep caught up with me, and once I started thinking about taking a nap, it turned into several hours of sleep.
In hindsight, my body was probably genuinely tired. Perhaps a shorter, more intentional rest period — or even an energy drink afterward — might have helped me get back on track.
Today, however, I’m starting much better.
I’ve already been awake since 5:00 AM and have completed several things within the first hour of the day. I may not make it to church physically, but I can still follow the service online.
I’m about to sit down and plan the day properly. If I start feeling tired, I’ll be very intentional about any nap or rest period. The goal is to rest briefly, wake up, and immediately return to the rhythm of the day.
I also have very clear goals for both work and my personal life. At the office, I know exactly what I want to clear off my desk. Personally, I also have a clear set of objectives, even if they aren’t fully organized on paper yet.
I know what needs to be accomplished.
If I stay on that path, I believe today will feel successful.
So that’s today’s post.
By this evening, I should have an update on how the day went.
Have a productive day.
