How to adjust mode: Tips working mom, a surgeon and other heroes
A healthy lifestyle has become an axiom: we learned how important it is to be physically active, eat right and resist stress. And if in theory everything is more or less clear, in fact it turns out not without obstacles: attempts to adjust sleep patterns and a balanced diet fail because of night work, small children do not leave their parents a minute to take care of themselves, and after the daily watch there can be no thoughts in the hall - there would be enough strength to get home. Under the conditions of constant stress in a big city, taking care of one’s own health is not an easy but important challenge, and everyone takes it in his own way. We asked people with different work schedules how they manage to maintain optimal day regimen while maintaining vigor and productivity.
Two works with a floating schedule
I have two jobs, one with a schedule of 3/3 to 11-12 hours, usually from 07:00. At the second job I appear in the remaining weekdays after 12:00. On “good” weeks I have two days off (Saturday and Sunday), on “bad” days I can work all seven days, and on “regular” weeks I have one floating day off on a weekday. I do not have a certain way to optimize the daily regimen, but there is one rule: in any incomprehensible situation, sleep. The ability to sleep lying, sitting and standing, in light and noise, I secretly consider my superpowers. In this night, I still try to sleep for at least five hours. Despite the busy schedule, I, paradoxically, have a lot of free time. I finish work at 6:00 pm, and this is the time to meet with friends, go to the movies or go to drink and dance until the morning (which, by the way, I do not recommend if you go to work by six in the morning).
Due to the fact that a lot of time is spent on work, you begin to value free more and try to spend it wisely. On weekends, I manage to get enough sleep, and walk around exhibitions, and go out of town, and sometimes even fly somewhere. I find time to read, film and music. Not so long ago, I realized that for happiness I lacked a ukulele - and so I started playing. I do not use any applications for time management, I manage to keep everything in my head and on the wall calendar. The only application that helps in the work - to call a taxi. If all my trips by car on average take about 20 minutes, then by public transport is an hour or more of wasted time. But if I'm not in a hurry, I usually read, listen to music or audio series in the subway. Or sleep.
As for nutrition, this, of course, is a misfortune - a misfortune with a 3/3 schedule. I take breakfast from home, I eat, without departing from the workplace, I have dinner in the office canteen. In general, of course, I try to eat right, snack on nuts, fruits and vegetables, during the day I drink several glasses of water and chamomile tea, but I cannot do without coffee, sandwiches and chocolate bars. I dine either in a cafe or at home, I try not to eat any nastiness for the night, but I have no will power at all. A sedentary lifestyle is not cool, but as an absolutely unsportsmanlike person, I have been dragging off a trip to the nearest fitness club for half a year to sign up at least for yoga. My conscience torments me also because I know that I can definitely find time for two or three classes a week.
Work with sports loads
To learn how to do a lot and still have fun, you need to be able to get rid of too much - that takes a lot of time, money and energy, but gives nothing in return. This applies to work, sports, lifestyle in general, people with whom we communicate. It is important to remember that we decide what is "good" and what is "bad." All my tasks planned for the current day, month or year have clear goals: I define for myself what I am going to do it for. Taking any important action without understanding the result you want and can get is a very shaky way.
The first thing that helps me stay fit and productive is sleep. It is important not only the number of hours, but also their quality. Ventilated room, a comfortable bed and the ability to escape from unpleasant thoughts before going to bed will make the night rest more pleasant. In the latter meditation helps a lot. In addition, at the forefront of a healthy diet. For myself, I chose the 80/20 formula: 80% of my diet is a balanced, wholesome food, and 20% is, for example, a croissant with your favorite cappuccino on a Sunday morning. When you eat for the most part "correct" food, there is much more strength and energy than from the endless snacks with chocolate bars.
Of course, the guarantee of cheerfulness is sport. The issue of lack of time for it usually depends not only on employment, but also on the priorities set. As a fitness and yoga trainer, I can say that training three times a week is certainly better than nothing, but it would be good to be active every day, moreover, in the morning and in the evening. And let it be not an hour of intensive training, but just 15-20 minutes of charging, but this is already guaranteed to affect mood and well-being. The optimal formula to strive for is the following: 2-4 full-time workouts per week (gym, yoga, dancing - whatever you like) plus light exercise every morning and evening. Here, too, it is worth defining a goal that will make you sweat: someone wants to tighten their muscles or lose weight, and it is more important for someone to improve their health or relieve stress.
Another important point of productive working life I would call inspiration. From traveling and socializing with friends to reading and walking around the city - to whom what. The list is endless, but finding a way to switch is just as important for physical and mental health as getting enough sleep. Today, many successful and busy people have to re-learn to rest: sitting by the sea and at the same time constantly scrolling in my head the last meeting, it is unlikely that you will be able to relax and, moreover, be inspired.
Daily duty
I work in the Department of X-ray Surgery of the Cardiovascular Center. In close cooperation with the cardioreanimation department, we provide emergency assistance to patients with acute myocardial infarction and other life-threatening conditions. In fact, this means that at any time, day or night, 60 minutes after the patient is admitted to the hospital, he should be operated on. My work day starts at 8 am and ends at 8 am the next day. After daily duty, one often has to travel to other clinics for planned operations and consultations. On average, there are 2-3 duties per week. Notions like work hours, lunch break or work week are unknown to me.
The duties are different: sometimes you can relax a little and even take a nap, sometimes you don’t even have time to sit down. In any case, it is impossible to sleep in a shift: in addition to operations, it is constantly necessary to observe patients, perform bandaging and other medical manipulations. When you are woken up in the middle of the night and you have to get up at the operating table, strong coffee, Pu-erh and other energetics do not work: their heart rate increases, they begin to shake hands, which is completely unacceptable for the surgeon. I personally, in order to wake up, perform a series of simple exercises - squatting or jumping: I must make it clear to the body that he did not wake up for a couple of minutes to drink some water, but for concentrated long work. I think all surgeons have their own recipes for this.
Before the daily duty I try to lie down early and sleep. It is impossible to accumulate sleep, and I understand that sleeping for the future will not work, but at least 6-7 hours of sleep give a charge of cheerfulness for the first half of the day. After being on duty at home, I either immediately go for a nap for 2-3 hours, or, if I do not fall from my feet, and the world around does not turn into something shot in slow motion, I try to wait until ten in the evening in order to somehow streamline the regime. It is not possible to lie down and get up every day at the same time: the sleep mode is disturbed, circadian rhythms are shot down. In general, over the years, we developed, firstly, a tolerance for chronic lack of sleep, and secondly, the unique ability to sleep anywhere and in any posture, like Stirlitz, exactly 15 minutes. It turns out the variant of polyphase sleep technique, but without a clear periodicity. At one time, there was a flash mob on the Internet in support of a doctor who had fallen asleep in the workplace: everyone posted photos of sleeping health workers. From the side, it probably looks funny, but in fact everything is like that: at any convenient opportunity, you want (and it’s necessary!) To close your eyes, because it is important to save resources for future operations.
The main "harm" in the work of the surgeon - a long stay standing during operations and a huge load on the back and legs. Therefore, every morning I do a little stretching and push-ups, and in the evening - a bar and a twenty-minute warm-up for the neck. This is not fitness, in which everyone is mad (I do not post photos to social networks in beautiful form and sneakers). This is a necessity that will prolong professional life. In addition, I try to drink plenty of water. By the way, about drinking. I love to meet with friends, go to parties, to meet the dawn in "Simachev", but since a large number of duty comes at the weekend, this kind of rest becomes inaccessible. Such a phenomenon as Friday fun is forbidden for me, because early in the morning again at the operating table, and the price of a mistake is too high. So, if I want to drink, I combine it with dinner: I can afford a couple of glasses until six in the evening, otherwise I sleep badly. If suddenly there are two whole weekends during the week, you try to relax as thoroughly as possible: you see all your friends or relatives at once, you spend more time with your beloved people, you start to appreciate those moments. People with a work schedule of 5/2 do not understand.
In general, work in emergency surgery is quite hard work on the verge of human capabilities. You come in the morning to change and do not know what awaits you. You almost never have a full weekend. The question “what do you do in your free time?” Is completely incomprehensible to me, the very phrase “free time” seems absurd: free from what? But even after ten surgeries for a shift, when some secret backup mechanisms are turned on, when you literally survive only on adrenaline, leaving the watch with red eyes for weariness and staggering gait, you realize that this is the best work in the world. I do not praise my own profession, but I think the best description of it was expressed by one of the characters of my favorite film “That Munchhausen”: “Every day by nine in the morning I have to go to my magistrate. I will not say that this is a feat, but there is something heroic about it. "
Intensive freelancing and launching your business
For more than five years I have been working for myself - as they say, in freelancing. I am an illustrator who draws a lot to order - from prints for clothing collections to paintings for interiors. I myself build the entire workflow and determine the number of orders. It is no secret that it is self-organization and full personal responsibility - the most difficult thing in the work of a freelancer. There is no one to control you, to force, to direct. You must do everything qualitatively, on time, without breaking the deadlines, without giving yourself any indulgence and without being lazy. Everyday. Seven days a week. Yes, many freelancers do not have clearly defined weekends. But I established for myself the golden rule - not to work on Sundays, even if there is a very large, important and urgent order on the agenda. Freelancing has an obvious plus: such a schedule allows me to take a vacation when I wish, and travel when and where I like.
I sleep a little - for 5-6 hours. The reason is simple: I have two small children. Therefore, in my case it is impossible to build a schedule "from 9 to 19": children need attention, so the schedule adjusts to their needs. Husband and mother are my main assistants, they give me the opportunity to sleep on weekends. In general, the most important thing in the work of a freelancer is the people around who take your freelancing as a job, not as a “perpetual rest”, and are ready to help at any moment.
A few months ago, I launched a clothing line with an emphasis on prints that I’m developing myself. This is the case when freelancing gradually goes into a startup. Now it takes a huge amount of time, so many orders have to be given up - our physical abilities are limited. For any freelancer, it is very important to learn how to determine the feasible amount of work and be able to say no in time.
In the work of a key role played by planning. For this part, my main assistant is a notebook. I write down every, even the smallest task and get great pleasure from crossing out completed tasks with a thick marker. For example, now I cross out the item "Tell Wonderzine about my working day." For me, lists are a solution that optimizes great, simplifies the workflow and allows you to remember everything. If an urgent work suddenly appears, I do not change anything in my schedule, but instead I donate to sleep. In order not to lose productivity, I try to eat right. It is not difficult when you work at home, although it is a little more difficult when you work at home with two children. Eat often, but in small portions. No sugar, no salt, no baking (well, if only quite a bit). I avoid carbonated drinks and juices - only water.
Rest from work during the day is not necessary. I draw a lot, which in itself is a relaxation. Morning begins with a workout, salad and coffee. At lunch, I walk with my child, and in the evenings we have walks with the whole family: we walk around the city a lot (while the children are in wheelchairs, we can afford it). That is, despite the huge amount of work, I always find time and the opportunity to relax and spend time with my family. My man lives on the same principle, so work is easy, and family matters are a pleasure.
Non-normalized employment in their own business and study
I work at the publishing house Parallel Comics, which we opened with a friend a year ago. First of all, we started working with Marvel Publishing, and in our enterprise I am responsible for absolutely all communication with Western partners, as well as with the printing house - and this greatly affects my daily routine. Until this summer, I tried to combine work with studies in the 11th grade. I barely woke up shortly before the first lesson, and often just skipped it. From the very morning I began to work somehow: I approved the layouts of the books, handed them over to the press, and constantly communicated with my partners by mail. At the same time I was sitting at the desk. It was difficult to combine work with lessons at school, from where I came completely tired and exhausted. When I started working at the publishing house, I practically stopped doing anything other than comics or studies.
After graduation, I did not go anywhere - I decided to take a year break to devote myself not only to fine-tune the work of the publishing house, but also to author projects for which there was time. Now I go to bed at two or three in the morning and wake up at best around eleven in the morning. Immediately I find out what needs to be done in a day, I write down the plan and gradually execute it, simultaneously working on personal stories like comics in instagram. I have practically no friends left with whom I would not work on anything, about any parties now there can be no talk. Every day I try to allocate a little time for reading, movies, games and cycling. For this, I make plans, determine the dates. In absolutely everything that concerns my schedule, I think with deadlines: my attitude to time is determined by what projects are planned, how many cases need to be done, what books I am going to read. At the same time, it is most difficult to get used to the fact that in a month you don’t need to go to school.
Night shifts
Even considering that I no longer play professional poker, the remnants of the former way of life still make themselves felt: for example, it is difficult for me to go to bed before four o'clock in the morning. All poker players are night residents, one might say extreme owls. Those who play in live games - in casinos abroad or in underground clubs in Russia - naturally strive to play more with amateurs and less with similar professionals. And amateurs tend to work at a real job during the day, so that there is something to lose at night. Professionals are forced to adapt.
When I became interested in poker about ten years ago, I started playing on the Internet, and there the tournament schedule was completely and completely tuned to the Americans, where poker is something like a "fool" with us. Consequently, all the most interesting things happened again at night, Moscow time, which suited me, because during working hours I pretended to be a decent person, working in the "Poster". On April 15, 2011, Americans were banned from playing poker online, and since then the schedule has gradually adjusted to European and Russian time zones, but if successful, the online player’s gaming session may still be delayed until early in the morning.
An important feature of tournament poker is that big money is played in the endings, that is, when fatigue reaches its maximum. При этом цена одной ошибки в этот момент может достигать десятков тысяч долларов и определять, заработает ли игрок что-то по итогам месяца (а то и года) или останется в минусе. Естественно, покерные игроки самыми разными способами пытаются себя подготовить к таким марафонам. Причём если лет десять назад в моде были кофе, энергетики и даже какие-то сомнительные медицинские препараты, то примерно пять лет назад ветер сменился, и чуть ли не большинство профессиональных игроков в покер стали адептами здорового образа жизни, правильного питания и завсегдатаями тренажёрных залов. Те, кто не обременён семьёй, стараются отсыпаться днём, но такая возможность есть далеко не у всех.Many give up poker tournaments precisely because they simply lose their ability to be nocturnal with age.
However, no matter how hard you try, to fully communicate with a poker player in the first half of the day there is practically no chance. Even calling is often useless - the phone is disconnected, because the subscriber is in the tight embrace of Morpheus. You should not be surprised when, having answered you at five or six in the evening, the interlocutor casually remarks: "I just woke up." Such a feature in this strange profession. Quite often, professional players have difficulties in their personal lives - not because they lose everything (although this happens), but because not every person, especially with “normal” work, is able to come to terms with this way of life of a partner.
Fund management and child rearing
For two years I have been living in two cities, and until recently, my daily routine depended solely on what city I was in. In Kiev, I am the founder of the Tablettochka charitable foundation and its immediate supervisor, so I try to use it as efficiently as possible every minute in my home country. If I am in Kiev, then at eight in the morning I am already at business breakfasts, and the working day ends not earlier than eight in the evening. Then I meet with friends, and after that I communicate with my husband on Skype. Two weeks in Kiev squeeze me so that after it I only sleep and eat for a few days. In Moscow, I am a wife. And although the rhythm of the city to the madman is fast, for me it was very calm and smooth. But recently everything has changed. I have a very demanding boss who does not give me either a day off or a vacation and requires an immediate response 24/7. The boss is named Vera, and she is five months old. All these five months, my daily regimen depends solely on her sleep and moods.
It is important for me to keep filled all spheres of my life: social activities, work, relationships with my husband and my personal time - so I devoted several weeks exclusively to “making the regime” to Vera and now I strictly adhere to it. First, babies love order and predictability. Secondly, it helps to preserve common sense and at least a little to resist the chaos that new people bring with them. My first ascent is from 6:30 to 8 in the morning - at this time I have time to drink coffee and read a few verses and walk around the yard. From 8 to 10, I either sleep or take a shower and do a workout. Since there is no possibility to go to the gym and, frankly, laziness, I train at home with Jillian Michaels video training. All that is needed for this is 30 minutes, a mat and dumbbells. And discipline. The last is basic.
From 10 to 13 - time daughter. Whenever possible I check messages in messengers and mail and, if questions are short, I answer. From 13 to 16 - working hours. At this time, I parse work mail and communicate with colleagues on Skype. I am very grateful to my team, which attracts me only in critical cases and in situations when I really can't do without me. They are already so professional and independent that my participation is not needed every day. From 16 to 19 - again, daughter's time: a walk around the courtyard, rhymes-poteshki-counters, exercises, swimming and sleeping. After 19:00 I do household chores, have dinner and read. Every day I plan to go to bed at 22, but before midnight I have never succeeded. The husband comes home from work after twelve, and I want to at least say hello.
I can not say that all areas of my life are balanced. Definitely not. I practically do not see with friends in Moscow, I go to cafes and manicures once every two weeks, and this is a whole event for which I prepare for several days, like Natasha Rostov for the first ball, I think about what I will wear and order. Now it seems that I get a hundred times more pleasure from these trips than before. I almost stopped talking on the phone. They call me, either when I pack Faith, or when she sleeps and I am near, or when she is capricious. I know that many people take offense at me for not calling back (sorry!).
I stopped watching TV shows and movies, so I read with envy reviews about the new Woody Allen film. Now I almost do not follow the diet and often, instead of full meals, I grab what I can reach. In the near future we plan to return healthy and healthy food to our lives and limit the consumption of “Baked Milk” cookies. Unfortunately, I have become less effective at work, but I am sure that this is a temporary phenomenon. In the meantime, I feel like in that joke: "How do you manage to do everything? I don’t have time to do anything." But my main life hacking, which helps to order chaos and preserve common sense, is to adhere to the regime, otherwise it will not survive. And, of course, drink plenty of water - it invigorates better coffee.
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