Tag: life

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to reflect on what you accomplished this week.

I’m going back a week, mostly because this is a busy week and I don’t know I’ll get to get organized in my thoughts on Thursday.

Last week, 11 Oct-17 Oct, I was doing a lot. The first part of the week was in Belgium at the first live work conference in nearly two years for me. It was great. I met people, chatted about all sorts of things from how the event ran to what some people did in their jobs. I delivered a presentation, networked with speakers and attendees, and got to enjoy some amazing Belgian beer.

I was back in Cambridge, UK on Wednesday, where I went to the office and had a few meetings. A hectic day, especially as I was trying to prep for work Thur. A great dinner with a friend as well, but a late night. That’s 3 in a row.

Thursday was recording a series of interviews for the PASS keynote. This was surprisingly difficult to do, helping the people focus and answer questions, sit in a not-very-comfortable chair all day, take after take. 8 hours of recording and then a team dinner. I fell into bed at 8.

Friday was also hectic, a few meetings, trying to get the final face time with people before leaving.

Saturday was travel, so I didn’t do much, but I did read a few books on the trip. Total for the pandemic limited 2021, 97 so far.

Sunday I got back to yoga class, cut some grass, and coached some volleyball.

It was a lot of stuff, a bit too much, as I ended up getting run down, feeling as though I’m fighting a cold after too little sleep and too long days. I used to handle busy weeks like this better in the past, but I’m getting older. I need to learn to slow down a bit, which is my big reflection.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to ask for help to overcome an obstacle.

I hate asking for help. I really struggle with it. Work appreciates that, but my wife sometimes gets on me to share with her and the family.

I’m working on it.

I had some chores to do recently, which I could have easily done. Well, not easily, but I likely wouldn’t have hurt myself. Mostly, I’m just slower by myself. I took time to ask my son to help. He’s happy to do it; I just needed to ask and schedule it with him.

It was nice to work on something together, and it went quicker. Hopefully it survives for a few years.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to thank yourself for achieving things you often take for granted.

I think I get a lot done, and I expect that I will do so. I also tend to just assume these are the things I need to do because I’m responsible, accountable, etc. for these tasks.

One of the things that I enjoy, but I also know that makes a difference, is I cook dinner. My wife doesn’t like to cook. My son will, but he’d rather not have the burden of deciding on a dish and shopping. If I do those things, he doesn’t mind.

It’s relaxing for me when I have time, but stressful when I’m busy. However, I also know everyone appreciates it rather than having the throw something together for themselves. It’s a shared chore, not assigned to anyone, but one that I usually take on.

I somewhat take for granted it’s my job, but I have started to internally recognize that it’s a good thing and I can thank myself.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to make progress on a project or task you’ve been avoiding.

I have a lot of projects. Work, home, hobbies, and more. I rarely have a day when I don’t feel there is something I should be doing.

I am also good at avoiding some projects. For various reasons, I will delay certain things over and over. During the lockdown, I was a bit better at tackling some long overdue projects, but not all of them.

This year, I’d been putting off cutting the grass in the fields at the ranch. I regularly cut the green grass by the house, but the larger pastures need mowing once a year to knock down yucca plants and clean out some of the weeds that grow. When I do this once a year, we end up with healthier grasses the following year.

However, this is a project. It’s about 30-40 hours of mowing on the tractor. I kept delaying it, mostly because the tractor is behind two gates, and it’s a pain to get out. It also has to go back every day or two because it’s used to load hay into wagons. As a result, my plan to get the pasture mowed this fall was getting delayed. Finally I started just before my trip to Europe. I got the tractor out, attached the mower, and starting cutting. I had timed this so I had an afternoon and the next morning before the tractor was needed for hay. I spent about 5-6 hours across two days getting going on this project.

I got back from Europe and decided this was a relatively easy project to work on this past Sunday. 3 more hours, and things are looking better.

Now I need to just keep going across the next few weeks, doing an hour or two a few days a week and hope to get done before October ends.