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For those of you who don’t know, I have hypothyroidism, also known as low thyroid function. Hypothyroidism itself is very common in the slight degree – over time, it is typical for thyroid function to decrease making a person’s thyroid hormone levels dip into the technically “hypo” range, which shows itself as a bit of sluggishness, a little weight gain, and some depressed mood. Most people are right as rain with a little synthetic hormone to help the thyroid do its job.
However, I enjoy the condition in a bit of an extreme as my thyroid gland was totally removed in 2003 due to Graves Disease. This means that if my medication isn’t exactly calibrated, I get to experience such wonderful symptoms as constant fatigue, muscle aches, lack of energy, depression, and decreased motivation. The kicker is that my meds will never really be exactly calibrated, due to the constant shift of other factors in the body like hormones and dietary intake.
I have come to understand, as many other “hypos” have before me, that I can’t rely on my synthetic hormones to make me feel normal. While the medication will help get me part of the way, the rest of the responsibility lies on me to make sure I am eating the right foods, drinking the right liquids, and exercising appropriately to help my body out in every way I can to be at peak performance. Unlike you lucky ducks out there who have normal thyroid function, I need to be consistently disciplined with these things because my body won’t fill in the blanks.
But of course I haven’t been, because I am a 20-something woman who loves french fries and sugary foods. And I’ve paid the price – over the past few months I’ve felt my energy seep away, my motivation dissipate, and a desire to sleep 14+ hours a day slowly take hold.
The Organic Realization
So this past week I took some time away from my other obligations and pursuits to really educate myself not only on healthy eating, but on the type of diet and exercise program that someone with hypothyroidism needs to maintain. I’ll spare you the details, but water, fiber, whole grains, vitamins and veggies are in, along with 60+ minutes of cardio/strength training daily, while sugary and processed foods are out.
Yet from all my research I have also taken in an increased awareness of the importance of organic. Not only in terms of food, but also in terms of life balance.
Organic is a term that I don’t use too often when talking about The Life Uncommon, but it is really an integral theme to all aspects of our uncommon journeys. Living authentically is in effect living organically. It means living a life that is natural, or organic, to you. It means instead of allowing a pre-made and impersonal structure to be imposed upon your life, you are striving to live in a way that feels right and natural to you.
Organics and the Uncommon Life
I think one of the most quantifiable areas that the concept of being organic can be applied in our uncommon lives is time structuring.
As you know, I’ve been working with various time management techniques the past few months trying to find a structure that makes sense for my goals, lifestyle, and other pursuits. What I’ve really been doing is working to find a time structure that is organic for me – because I believe when you are doing something that is natural you will be able to sustain it.
What I’ve learned about time management styles is that in most cases, these techniques are short term fixes that are challenging to sustain over months and years. Also, they typically don’t take into consideration the unique aspects of individuals or prepare you for the long run. Some major things that vary from person to person include:
- how much sleep you need a night
- if you need all you sleep in one sitting, or you benefit from spreading it out in long naps throughout the day
- when you work best (early morning, mid-morning, afternoon, late afternoon, evening, late night)
- when you are most creative
- how long your productive/creative episodes last
- what non-work activities help recharge you to reach your peak productivity
- how many productive/creative periods you have in a 24 hour day
- what external factors, such as sunlight, diet, exercise, etc, help you maximize your productive episodes
Shifting the focus away from a premade time management technique toward a personalized and organic structure means that you take all of these factors into account by first listening to your body and then analyzing affective factors and deciding how to handle them.
For example, yesterday my body told me at 2pm that I needed some sleep. I acknowledged this message from my body, and then analyzed the contributing factors that could have made my body send that message. Some things that I accounted for were:
- the fact that I’ve been feeling more hypo lately than usual, so I was hormonally sluggish/fatigued
- it has been raining here for 2 weeks straight, so that can make you tired
- I hadn’t had much caffeine thus far during the day, so I was understimulated
In the end, I opted for a nap because I felt like fighting against my hormonal imbalance with caffeine would be futile. When I woke up, four hours later, I felt a little better and more alert though upset that I had lost all that time not being productive. The next time I receive a similar message from my body I will refer back to this experience and take it into account as I analyze how to handle the situation.
The point is that using this listen/analyze technique in reference to taking care of business, both personal and work related, may be the key to identifying and crafting a truly effective, personalized, and organic time structure that help you work at peak levels, be properly rested, and the most productive. Sure, there are some loop holes (laziness, for one!), but I think this is worth pursuing. I plan on testing this method out and seeing what fruit it can bear. After all, the point is to live your design…
Would love to hear your thoughts on this theory, Uncommoners – do you think it is better to structure time organically, or utilize more imposing techniques to get things accomplished?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: evanhadkins
I’m for organic (the other stuff doesn’t really work for me).
The other way may be useful for those people who get lost and confused – outside checks to know how you’re doing can be very encouraging.
Two rules of thumb:
1. If you’re procrastinating about doing something – consider not doing it.
2. Boredom is different to tiredness (it is usually the clash of competing desires).
Your thought about procrastinating is a really good point – I must confess that I often see my procrastination as just sometimes being just dragging my feat. But you’re right, most of the time it is about something that needs more time to gel in my mind, or isn’t really ripe yet. Excellent point!