It's all about learning

When your WORK bucket is full after it's been empty for a long while, you kind of forget what it feels like. This week, I've fallen back into a bad old habit. The last 2 nights I've done something I used to do a lot but have essentially stopped doing. I fell asleep on the sofa, TV blaring, until about 2am.

Work - prep for a Board meeting on Monday - has left little time for other things this week. The compulsion to even switch my laptop on in the evening, let alone write anything, has deserted me. I am back to the simple male compulsions of food and sleep when I get home in the evening (2 out of 3 ain't bad). As you know, the food bit for me demands my time in cooking and cleaning too. While my sausages in lentils with sweet potato mash were absolutely delicious last night (and I'm not the only one to say it, so it must be true!) it was about 9.30 when I'd finished eating.

I remember Hotel Babylon finishing. I even remember thinking that it's not actually very good so why do I like it? It's not Life on Mars is it? I remember the news starting. Then all I remember is tidying the kitchen at 1.30am, feeling like a dog, making an unnecessary packed lunch for the mooselets (at least I know what my tea is tonight!) and going to bed. There was a moment just after my head hit the pillow, head thumping, that I thought I was in for an honorary membership of the insomniacs club, but fortunately that didn't last long.

So now, two coffees and a bacon and egg sandwich into my day, my prep is just about finished, I'm waiting for the boss to give the go-ahead to send the papers out, and then I'll be back to normal with nothing to do.

This week I've tried to fill some time gaps with some more uplifting and valuable tasks. Today will be my third mentor meeting of the week. The other two have, I hope, been useful for the mentees concerned. Even if it's just for them to know that someone cares.

I also learned some stuff. I learned that the things I've been working on lately aren't anywhere near as secret as they should be. I learned that some of my efforts in my previous work life are appreciated now I'm not there any more (the graduate scheme appears to have imploded without my sponsorship - a sure case for schadenfreude! - I said they'd miss me when I was gone!). I also learned something about buckets.

I now need to learn (or rather remember) what it is that snapped me out of my sofa slumber habit and do that again. It might be as simple as blogging. Switching the computer on keeps me more alert so that I don't go all soporific. It also keeps me upright as it's difficult to type lying down. And switching the laptop off some time after 10 is also a great cue to switch everything else off and go to bed.