Rest Day.
While I took a break from subs today, today was the first day back at work. A few things were off:
- Sleep schedule just didn’t work properly. Past 6 AM I was already up.
- Focus at work was pretty good most of the day. I sat by myself to avoid distractions. At lunch I wasn’t very talkative with my coworkers. I think Emperor’s scripting of “focus on what I gotta do” is already kicking in here…or maybe I was just tired.
- I believe I underate during lunch (which I intended to be an OMAD). This led me to become too focused on food in the evening, which led me to extend my window and have dinner. Definitely, something weird was going on, because in this part of the evening I had a series of weird mistakes, such as forgetting something at the office, keeping my employee tag on as I went to go eat, and…leaving my keys in the car. You read that right, that actually happened. I am highly fortunate that none of these slip-ups lead to any consequences, but I was shocked at what I had done.
What am I to do next? Well, I’m going to bed early today. In fact, I’m going to bed at the time that I want to go to bed at during the upcoming fast. In other words, I’m going to try and transition into the fasting sleep schedule starting today (@DarkPhilosopher), though I am not fasting just yet. I believe the fact that the sleep schedule I had during the trip resembles the fasting sleep schedule is the reason why I am compelled to do this now and is the reason why some things were off today (last night, I tried to sleep using the normal schedule I had prior to the trip).
Listing Down Direct Results
I have noticed that in my recent entries I haven’t directly pointed out results that could be a cause of the subs I’m running. Looking at the whole picture is great, but that could be working against me here because the subs cause a lot of small changes. So let’s note some things down.
- Mind’s Eye: Intuition. During the trip, there was one point in the bathroom in which I wanted to open up the vents to let the steam out after a hot shower. However when I turned around to do this and looked at the vents my mind very quickly played a clip in which I tried to do this but slipped and had a bad accident. As a result, I decided not to open the vents. At the time I recognized that it was some kind of intuition enhancement.
- Mind’s Eye: Conscious Development. So during the trip, I had a bit of downtime here and there. I practiced a few times the art of holding an image or discussion in my mind for a few minutes. That image represents something I want to realize in this reality. Did that, then dropped them. I haven’t done this very much since coming back from the trip, but I want to keep up the momentum. These few days after the trip, I’ve just been writing what I want to be manifested.
- Mind’s Eye: Visualization Quality. I feel as if it is a lot easier to picture what I want in mind. @Simon had put up that test of Aphantasia and I immediately scored myself as a 6, because I could visualize the red star so clearly in my mind. In some recent visualizations, I felt as if I could bring positive feelings forth more easily, too. This is good, alongside the next thing.
- Mind’s Eye: Avoiding Negative Images. In the past, for a long time, my mind has liked to imagine some really negative bullshit regarding circumstances and outcomes in my life, as well as certain what-ifs playing out. I do not find myself doing that very much lately. In fact, if I start to ponder and come across those negative threads again my mind quickly snaps back at me saying HEY! Don’t visualize that! And I follow it. Sometimes I feel like I can’t even think about those negative images. I start to think man, that’s nonsense, why would I even want to imagine that stuff? I want to imagine and focus on only the good. I should not even admit the possibility of those negative things occurring, much less visualize them.
- Chosen: Work Manifestation. Today, in the process of catching up on a project I’m leading my coworker informed me that there’s a particular way of leading the project that could get me towards defining and achieving a deliverable. (Sorry for the vagueness here, but this is work stuff.) Essentially, I can leverage something that’s going on in another project of my team to define or demonstrate success in this project; the current problem is that the project is still in a research-type phase, but needs to move towards well-defined goals and deliverables for the quarter. So this information I received today is incredibly helpful—that, and the news that someone from another team is willing to collaborate in perhaps exactly the way we need to collaborate.
- Emperor: Discipline. I’m doing pretty good on the NF front recently. Of course, the 10-day trip is responsible for the majority of the current streak. However, there are some at-home disciplinary behaviors that I’ve been doing to continue the momentum. And I’m getting myself to go into work to be disciplined FOR work and to support NF. One weird thing that happened with NF recently is that I actually peeked at some stuff I shouldn’t have. But my mind was telling me, “What’s the point of this? Sure you might feel good for a bit but in the long term it sucks, remember? Remember all the benefits achieved so far!” And there are a few benefits that I’ve been experiencing on NF that is mixing with the subs.
- Emperor: Productivity. I feel the productivity scripting had some part in the way I’ve managed my affairs these last two days. With me completing most of the weekly list already as well as being relatively focused at work today (a major step up from the last few days preceding the trip), I am enjoying the focus and lack of chatter in my mind when I really need to get down to it. I am also acknowledging this to be a benefit of NF.
- Emperor/Chosen: Social Understanding. When I met up with my coworkers for lunch I noted that one of them said that I should sit with them. Later in the day, I felt as if this was their way of saying they missed me without saying they missed me. Am I getting social enhancement, or simply utilizing the extensive social development I’ve already had? Could that coworker have been affected by my Emperor-Chosen aura? Hmm…
- Emperor/Chosen: Voice. Voice is more satisfactory. Undoubtedly this is also an effect of NF.
- Emperor: Focus. I feel like I am quite focused on the current task which is writing this current journal entry. I try to write this using a single 25-minute timer but right now I don’t even care about that. I’m just writing away, trying to get all my thoughts out without needing a timer to pressure me. Well, I did start this with a 15-minute timer but that timer finished already.
- Emperor: Get-stuff-done energy. I moved an appointment to tomorrow in the morning instead of on Thursday. A minor thing, sure. When I did this I thought that it’d be a good way to capitalize on the new sleep schedule that will have me waking up considerably earlier in the mornings.
- Emperor: Career Focus. I’m finding myself considerably more career-focused. I’m thinking that this is what I really need to focus on right now, because of the goal I’ve set for myself there. I can’t be distracted by all this other stuff, and I need to schedule things in my life properly to deal with everything. I must be efficient with my time. Eliminate distractions, work on personal things at an appropriate time.
A few questions for myself.
- How can I embrace the boredom (something talked about in Deep Work) and can Emperor help me with that?
- How far can voice deepening go with Chosen? I want a deeper voice and one that is deep more consistently. Ideally Chosen does it in such a way that it is untied from NF.
- How can I land on a consistent visualization routine with Mind’s Eye?
- Will the 5-minute sub strategy be the best for me?
