The 90 Minute practice

Over the years I have read a plethora of non-fiction books that would be shelved in psychology, self-help, and business sections of your local bookstore. I like to underline, write notes in the margins, journal about them, discuss them with my friend, and implement at least one new behavior in my daily life. We have a very exclusive book club of two, and are currently reading our 33rd book.

Today I am implementing the concept of working on a project or task for no more than 90 minutes (I believe I gleaned this nugget from Gretchen Rubin), and alternating sedentary tasks with physically actives ones (this idea is all mine). I am also mindful of a conversation I recently had with a group of friends about what it means to be creative. In the artistic sense of the word, I do not describe myself as creative – although I dabbled in painting when attending a homeschool art class with my kids during their elementary years. Looking around my office as I type I can see three pieces of art that I created, and I know that there are three pieces in my sunroom. So, to avoid the risk of sounding like a liar, I will grant that I have painted in the past but under the direct supervision of an experienced art teacher. I bet that I could not replicate these pieces of art now! I do, however, describe myself as creative in the sense of playing around with colors and making spaces attractive and welcoming. And I enjoy putting together scrapbooks with colored papers, stickers, artfully arranged photos. And I love gardening – also using colors and creating beauty on my patio by filling containers with color themes.

Today, I spent about 90 minutes in my office scrapbooking my Austentatious Trip of 2023 (visiting towns in England with a Jane Austen theme), and when I could feel myself losing focus, I popped out to purchase a collection of plants – today’s color theme was purples and blues for the sunny patio, and some luscious hostas for a shading spot out front. Purchasing and then planting took about 90 minutes.

Wittering on here (still a practice to create a daily habit for when I start Seminary in August – when hopefully I will have much more interesting things to share) having lunch and watching the beginning of the USA v Australia World Cup match will take up the next 90 minutes. This will be followed by a spiritually uplifting support group that I attend most Fridays, and then I pop over to my daughter’s house for some physically active grandson time (they are 6 and 3 and full of energy).

I really like that my day has evolved into this 90 minute practice. It was not something I set out to establish first thing this morning; rather it unfolded naturally as the need emerged.