This week I got re-engaged in my occupation and did a task that I've been looking forward to. I cleaned my engine compartment with Zep: Heavy-Duty Citrus Degreaser, which can be purchased at any home improvement store.
I diluted the degreasing agent to 1/2 solution and 1/2 water in a spray bottle and coated everything in the engine compartment except the battery terminals. My son and father-in-law helped me clean all the dust and grease from the surfaces.
During
After While the engine compartment wasn't caked in grease or dust before hand I like how clean it is now and it makes it feel like my car is brand new. This was a quick project that, if I do consistently, will stay a manageable task.
"Time use is sometimes seen as a reflection of occupational balance, in terms of a balance between occupational categories such as work, rest and play measured in time" (Eklund, M. et al., 2010). I think the last time I can say I truly had occupational balance was when I was in high school. I worked hard at getting good grades and was able to accomplish that. In addition to my school work I had a close relationship with my family, spent quality time with my friends, and participated in sports and clubs at school that I enjoyed. If there was one area I could have worked on to be more balanced it would have been prioritizing sleep. Throughout that period of my life I felt like I had enough time to accomplish all the things I needed and wanted to do.
I have not been doing well with occupational balance during grad school. I find that I have weeks that I do a great job at a few aspects of my life and realize the areas I slipped in. When I try to prioritize the areas that have been neglected, items that I was doing great with begin to get left undone. I found that I need to have non-negotiable tasks that get done every week and be reasonable about how often I do "extra" right now. I have found that it's important to be consistent and make lists so I am reminded what I have chosen to give my attention to for the day, week, and month. Preparation whether that's food, calendars, homework schedules or laundry helps me to stay out of situations that take longer or need to be fixed. Participation in my new occupation has fit into this concept as I have needed to schedule times and prepare with my father in law to work on some of the detailing projects I have done.
Mona Eklund , Lena‐Karin Erlandsson & Christel Leufstadius (2010) Time use in relation to valued and satisfying occupations among people with persistent mental illness: Exploring occupational balance, Journal of Occupational Science, 17:4, 231-238, DOI: 10.1080/14427591.2010.9686700
Hi Alissa, I am so impressed with your detailing work. You chose such a satisfying occupation, and I'm tempted to go review all of your previous posts for that reason:)
ReplyDeleteI don't think you are alone in finding occupational balance within graduate school to be difficult. I heard a quote once that went something like this, "It may be hard to love every moment within your day, but there is still a way to love each day as a whole." That has been my goal recently to help me find more meaning in our busy schedules. Sometimes it takes me really searching for something positive to credit towards a good day, but there is always at least one thing.
We were asked this week about how new occupations fit into the concept of occupational balance, and you mentioned scheduling time to work together with your father-in-law. Do you think that next semester you will continue detailing or start a new occupation, and do you feel like adding a new occupation has supported or diminished your sense of occupational balance?
Hey Cambrie! Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. I love the quote you shared! That's a great reminder for me and I'm going to try to do better with being intentional about finding what was good in the day. I've stayed consistent with gratitude journaling from time to time and I always feel so much better.
ReplyDeleteWhen we are done with our blog assignments I think I will continue to take better care of my car than I have in the past because I feel so much better when it's clean and I've created healthy habits. This occupation in particular has helped me maintain occupational balance as it was something I needed to do anyway but I also get to count it as homework!