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How to Create Downtime Menus
As a lot of my posts are, this one was inspired by a conversation with my partner. She seemed to think some of my ideas were helpful so I thought I'd write them up and share them here.
I use a combination of these ideas to do two things - redirect myself when I get stuck doomscrolling/freezing/obsessing and redirect myself when I'm stuck on the "must be good, must be productive" hamster wheel and can't seem to stop doing chores until I'm fucking exhausted or have pushed/hurt myself. Knowing you need to stop is one thing - knowing what to do instead is another.
Not all of these will work for every person at every time. Pick one or two that seem interesting and give them a whirl.
Habit of the Month
This is a small habit I can do in about 5-10 minutes a day. These are sometimes habits that I want to audition for my lineup or just want to focus on as a way of rebooting a given area of my life. Physical habits have been things like stretching, a walk, putting on moisturizer, drinking water, making tea, etc. Emotional habits have been things like stream of consciousness journaling, bullet journaling, recording myself venting, etc. Spiritual habits have been things like meditating, altar work, reading sutras, tarot readings, etc.
If I'm stuck in a loop and I haven't done that task yet, it serves as an easy win that feels moderately meaningful to accomplish. This is easier to do than longer or less interesting tasks.
Side Quests
These are little challenges I'd like to accomplish that are 100% fun and completely optional. They are specific and can me completed within a given time frame - usually a month. They usually aren't the most meaningful to keep them more fun and so I'm not letting myself down if I don't opt to complete it.
They've been things like:
The Minor Expert Challenge - read three books in one subject
The Kanopy Critic Challenge - use up all of my Kanopy credits that month
The Regal Freegal Challenge - download all the albums/songs I can on Freegal that month
The Monthly Playlist Challenge - create a playlist of the month where each song represents something about each day of that month; like a playlist diary
The Reverse Tarot Draw Challenge - pick/list a tarot card you best think represents each day of a given month or other time period; like a tarot card diary
The 100 Words Challenge - learn 100 words in a foreign language
As you can see, I prefer things that are pretty low energy friendly so I can work on them on days I'm super tired. Just little chronic illness things.
Alphabet Lists
I use these for my cleaning routines actually but I also have been trying them with my downtime. The way it works is you list out the alphabet and choose one self care or hobby task you'd like to do for each. They don't have to start with the same letter, it just serves as an easy way to limit how many you pick and keep track of what you've done. It's satisfying to cross off the whole list.
Tasks I put on these are things like
A - paint my nails
B - crochet a charity hat
C - write 5 letters for Letters Against Isolation
D - send a letter to a friend
E - play a solo rpg
F - play a solo board game
G - complete a puzzle
etc
They're fun tasks I'm not currently doing as often as I'd like but chill enough that it doesn't matter when precisely I do them more often. I try to pick tasks that are roughly 30 minutes to an hour long though some definitely take longer. I like to complete these roughly monthly but I try to complete a whole list before I start it again. Anything I just did not feel like doing and kept skipping gets scratched out and I rewrite a new list with new item to replace those. And I start again.
Whenever I'm like ugh I don't know what to do with myself, I try to pick at least one thing on the list and give it a try for 5 minutes. If I don't like it after that I can just put it away and pick something else.
10x10
10x10 lists are a different take on a similar idea. It's a list of 10 things you'd like to do at least 10 times in a given time period. Mine tend to be on the seasonal or annual timescale but maybe you're intense and prefer a monthly one. If I don't complete them in a given time period, I just continue with it until I'm done. Better to complete it on an altered timeline than not at all.
For me these tend to be slightly bigger tasks that take a little more planning or energy. I'm not totally sure why I use them this way since you could definitely use them for smaller tasks but that's just the space they occupy for me.
So examples of what would be on my list would be things like:
Grab a hot chocolate from the coffee shop (x10)
Complete a PokemonGo event (x10)
Have a spa night and watch a movie (x10)
Do something extra nice for my partner (x10)
Try a new game (x10)
Find a geocache (x10)
etc
Filing up a little 10x10 grid is pretty satisfying. Much more so than anxietying myself into my bed for the equivalent amount of time.
Seasonal Bucket Lists
I really enjoy making these though I really struggle with the current season (Spring) given my allergies. There's this idea my partner has told me about in DBT where you try to recall positive moments to help "build a life worth living". I think seasonal bucket lists are really good at helping with this for me. I look back on the seasons I made these lists way more fondly than the ones I didn't.
They generally center on seasonal activities I don't want to miss out on. So for summer that's stuff like going for a night swim/skinny dip, getting 5-10 good cloud photos, playing a yard game (like cornhole), seeing a street concert, etc. I also try to take pictures of those (if they don't already involve them) so I can reflect on them later and enjoy the residual happiness.
Conclusion
The point of these isn't to overwhelm you with options. It's just to have enough ideas prepped that you can find something no matter your energy level or time you're working with.
Remember - rest and enjoying yourself is necessary for human health. Folks how get good rest and experience flow states more regularly tend to heal better. People who spend time on what they enjoy are often more enjoyable to be around.
It's never a waste of time to make yourself happy.
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Planning for my PTO next week like
yes this is the information my colleagues need to do my job in my absence
and
here are all the fics I'm going to read and writing projects I'm going to tackle!!!!
#I am making LISTS I am so excited#love a good list#my colleagues 'oh what are you doing on your time off?'#me: 'oh nothing planned just going to aggressively relax and maybe do some things around the house!!!!'#'shoves TBR/TBW list off to the side'#honestly have not even had this fannish vacation yet and I already highly recommend it#personal
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A list that slowly descends into madness… in a good way, of course. Number 15 might surprise you!
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#Seven Possible Reasons Why the Ghost is Here#lists#ghost#ghosts#haunted house#haunting#spooky#unreality#everyone in this day and age loves a good joke about the game of bridge#unfortunately this is the only one we had
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so i got bored and made another uquiz. which subtle way of saying "i love you" are you?
#warning: i'll make you psychoanalyse yourself before i psychoanalyse you in return#so good luck lol#uquiz#personality quiz#quizzes#i recently made a little list of all the tiny ways i tell people i love them & it seemed like really fun quiz material#so here we are :)#on love
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played it on a whim but now its gonna be stuck with me forever
#mouthwashing#mouthwashing 2024#body horror#adding this to the list of games that really nail a good narrative#along with mermaid-swmp#anyway daisuke is my boy love that guy
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As someone who keeps an Excel file of all the movies I watch, I just discovered letterboxd and I think my brain chemistry has changed.
#love a good list#i hate forgetting what movies ive watched#will still probably keep my excel sheet#i have more categories than just rating & review#letterboxd
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Yeah, pact commands are powerful and allow you to control the Seven Rules of Hell any time you desire. Pact commands are a little intense though. You can probably get the same outcome by bopping them on the head with a flimsy cardboard paper towel tube.
The great part is that this also works on demons you don't have a pact with, reapers, and other humans (even powerful sorcerers).
The longer your cardboard tube, the more power you wield and the greater your authority becomes. The downside is they can wrestle the tube away from you. But, y'know, until that happens you feel so mighty.
#Lucifer is lecturing Mammon a little too long over something minor? Bop him.#You asked Mammon to get you something and he didn't return the change? Bop him.#Leviathan was just too good at games and won every round? Bop him.#I was going to list one for everybody but it got a bit repetitive.#I feel like Thirteen would love this.#bopping the angels feels wrong though it feels like a crime. it's possible but it will weigh on your conscience.#(this is sarcastic. there is no inherent power in cardboard tubes. only the insanely powerful feeling of being strong)#(so strong that nothing else compares except an even bigger cardboard tube)#obey me fandom#obey me#obey me!#omswd#obey me shall we date#obey me scenarios#obey me headcanon#obey me mc#obey me ideas
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CREW || first episode of appearance ⇉ season 2 episode 8
#ofmd#ofmd s2#our flag means death#ofmdedit#ofmdsource#ofmd gifs#ida.stuff#sorry ivan but i only included everyone who appeared in s2e8#i've had this on my to do list for sooooo long#and now felt like a good time#can't make myself write “last episode” though#i love them all so much
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....neuvifuri jumpscare...
#genshin impact#neuvillette#furina#neuvifuri#so basically I got atttached to these two#THE AQ WAS SO GOOD I only finished it myself not too long ago#i still love zv i just have another pair that ill hyperfixate on and off starting from now#merry christmas by the way everyone!#one thing from my wish list is neuvilette and i regret not pulling for him sooner please
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Dc x dp idea 100
John likes to trick beings to getting himself a good deal and screwing the entities over. So he does this with the new ghost king.
He somehow worded the deal to keep the king in his home realm. You know to keep Danny in the infinite realm unable to attack the earthly realm.
This backfires. And backfires hard. Danny’s home realm is still the earthly one. All John did was not let him back into the realm.
Danny is thrilled. And living his best life. No more council meetings, the paperwork is stuck in the keep, the Observants can’t force him to do kingly duties and above all else. He is passing all of his classes. Scheduled fights with his rogues help as well.
John. Well he’s not having a good time. The Observants are screaming at him, the new king is stuck in earth who knows what he is up to, and he’s had visits from all of Danny’s ghost guardians to yell at him.
John has to break the deal.
Danny doesn’t want to.
When Danny eventually agrees to discuss it. He shows up with a ghost lawyer, sam, and Jazz all in order to secure Danny a good deal. Maybe tucker as well.
Danny wants at least rated M and movie tickets for him and his friends for life, and of course Martian manhunters autograph.
Jazz wants him to get a guarantee that they would leave him alone.
Sam wants them to guarantee ghost protection and end the Giw.
#dp x dc#dc x dp#dp dc crossover#dp x dc crossover#dp x dc prompt#dcxdp#dpxdc#John messes up#he didn’t know the kind was still human#Danny loves the arrangement#if he had to break it#well he better get a good severance#his grades are gonna drop again#maybe get tutors lined up#definitely gets in the leagues watch list#pandora showed up sword wielded to threaten John#how dare he take away her ghost child#frostbite just showed up and glares at him#clockwork just made an appearance#him alone was a threat#the eyeballs hate John even more#out of princibal the council refuses to meet on earth#that place is a landfill in thier opion#they would rather just wage war without clearance from the king#danny phantom
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dance of deduction or something like that 🎶
#octopath#8path tag#octopath traveler 2#osvald v. vanstein#castti florenz#ochette#temenos mistral#partitio yellowil#agnea bristarni#throné anguis#hikari ku#crick wellsley#my art#dances depicted are listed in alt text!! tried to pick ones that reflect characters' interests/backgrounds#the sole exception to that is crick's bc i love me a good d/gs reference
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sure ango may have betrayed every organization under the sun but tachihara put in the effort to build up the perfect stereotypical gangstersona and act his silly little heart out for the perfect plot twist so we all know who deserves the award for best port mafia betrayal
#ango should have created a gangstersona too… it would have been a bit more spicy#although I do admit that not knowing where ango’s loyalty lies does make the betrayals in dark era good#but I guess similar things apply to Tachihara too which is why chapter 77 hits so good#Rimbaud gets third place for pm betrayals ig I like that his motives are about gay love but otherwise it’s just an okay betrayal#dazai isn’t even on the list because no one except Chuuya seems to count his defection as betrayal lol#I giggled so much during the episode because Tachihara was so dramatic throughout the episode ^_^ he is so funny#bsd#bungou stray dogs#bungo stray dogs#bsd season 4#tachihara michizou#bsd tachihara#ango sakaguchi#bsd ango
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its like this, basically
#demon slayer#kimetsu no yaiba#kny#I THINK! MAYBE! I HAVE NO SELF CONFIDENCE#BUT UR GONNA LISTEN TO ME RAMBLE ANYWAYS. SANEMI DOESNT HATE GENYA!!!!!#yes he is mean to genya no im not saying its justified in any way#hes doing it ON PURPOSE he is trying 2 DRIVE GENYA AWAY#he wants genya to stay as far away from the demon slayers as possible bc he knows how dangerous it is#and this is his way of trying 2 protect him!!!!!!!#because genya is his ONLY REMAINING FAMILY MEMBER !!!!!!!!!!!#his actions are not GOOD but it does annoy me when ppl make him torment genya for shits and giggles#like he would not do that#you understand#anyways i love drawing these 2 so so much especially genya oh my god#genyas blank. vacant. wide eyed stare is so important 2 me i love drawing him furever and ever#ALSO IN LOVE W THE “FREAKISHLY TALL” GENYA HC#LIKE ITS NOT MADE OBVIOUS IN THIS DRAWING BUT. ough. so good. bean pole#i want to pat him on the head gently#sanemi has the vibe of like a stressed out chihuahua#demon slayer tier list how likely is it for each character to bite someone#ME WHEN TRAGIC SIBLINGS. ME WHEN TRAGIC SIBLINGS. ME WHEB#its ironic then that the whole reason genya joined the demon slayer corps in the first place was bc#he wanted to become strong like his brother. to get his attention#hey wanna see how hard i can cryFFSSSSSHHHHHWWWGGGGHHJJJJ#potatart#sanemi shinaguzawa#genya shinazugawa#GIRL I FORGOT TAGS </3
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It would be nice to read a Superman comic that’s more Clark than Kal.
It would be nice to read a Batman comic where Bruce does more good as himself for the issues than as Batman.
It would be nice to see Diana in one of her many jobs like a museum curator bringing beautiful pieces of history to light for people to marvel at or as a diplomat.
It would be nice to see Barry solving crimes with his forensic science without bolting off between every discovery to handle things as Flash.
It would be wonderful to read a story about these awesome heroes that was focused on what good their other identities do, with their heroic personas as background instead of the other way around. I hardly hear of stories that last more than a few issues or an arch that gives us a nice long look into their civilian lives, if anyone knows any longer arcs like this I’d love to read them.
#clark kent#superman#bruce wayne#batman#diana prince#wonder woman#barry allen#the flash#it took a lot of power not to throw Billy in#I really do love civilian moments#not the peaks of it between fights#I seriously do think these could be fun or even exciting if dc wanted them to be#especially if they don’t do a ‘Bruce Wayne accused of murder’ plot again#bc that happens with alarming frequency I wonder how CPS lets him still adopt kids#gimmie some mystery’s with Clark#gimmie some political goodness with Diana#gimmie that greatest hits list of Brucie Wayne as a good ol fashioned comedy#gimmie gimmie#dc#dc comics#comics
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