The Mason Jar of Life and Tasks

You've like heard of the Jar of Life metaphor.

The idea is that the jar represents our life, limited and finite. There are only 24 hours in a day. There are only so many days/weeks/months in our life. We can only do so many things with that limited time.

The rocks, pebbles and sand, represent various features of our life, depending on how you look at it. So the big rocks can be Family, Health, Friends, Hobbies, etc. These are the Important things in life. The pebbles represent things like House, Car, Job, etc. And the sand is everything else, the small stuff.

If we fill up the jar with sand first (the unimportant stuff), there is no room for the rocks (important stuff). The trick is to place the important things in the jar firsts, then add the pebbles, then the sand... and then the beer (as some theories go - there is always room for beer with friends!).

Now, that's the fairly simple, basic version. This metaphor has been taken and used in all sorts of different contexts. And it's not quite as simple as putting big rocks in first, then pebbles, then sand. Unless the pebbles are really small, you'll probably find that the pebbles jam up against the rocks and the side of the jar and you're left with a bunch of empty holes in the bottom. Which could house pebbles, but which the pebbles can't reach. Technically, you should put some big rocks in, then some pebbles, then some more big rocks, then more pebbles, then the sand... and shake it all around!

As I was thinking about this metaphor, it struck me that it can easily be applied to my To-Do List and my Eating Plan.

Eating Plan Jar

Here's the thing... my tummy is a mason jar (a small one). I get up and I have a good breakfast (rock) and a good lunch (another rock)... but if I start snacking in the afternoon... and eating a bit of junk food or popcorn or whatever... there is no room in my tummy for dinner (another rock). And it's not like I can eat all three main meals in one go... my tummy is only so big. The meals are spread out over the day. So, it's up to me to make sure that, throughout the day, I am tending to my big rock meals first... and then... maybe add some snacks. Or maybe not.

To-Do List Jar

As for my To-Do list... my energy ration for the day is the mason jar. Or the number of hours in the day. or both.

There are days where I am so busy doing all the small things on my list. Because they are easy and they have been hanging around forever. So I am tossing pebbles and sand into that jar like nobody's business. Feeling so productive and so excited that I am getting things done!

But then... by 3 pm, I am pooped. No more energy. I've blown it all on sand and pebbles. And I look over my to-do list and see the rocks (projects) that I didn't tackle that day. I feel defeated and angry. Yes, I got a gazillion things done... but not the things that I really want to get done. I was seduced by pebbles and sand.

I know why I didn't tackle the big things... because rocks are darn heavy! And these rocks don't mean that the project is done. There is this huge boulder that is the project. Each rock is just a small part of it. Ugh. I work for a few hours, chipping away at the boulder, and I've got one lousy rock to show for it.

And not just that one project. There are other projects too! So maybe, at the end of the day, I've got 3 rocks to put in the jar. Then I can add a few pebbles - but not a lot because there is only so much time and energy in the day. Sand follows... the minutiae of life that has to happen regardless.

But... I feel like I've made a difference. I have moved three projects ahead. I haven't completed them. But I have moved them forward. Just a bit. Which makes a difference. I feel productive and satisfied.

My To-Do List is a mish-mash of rocks, pebbles and sand. If I don't plan out my day ahead of time... I can wake up and get sucked into the ease of pebbles and sand. I drift from this pebble to this pile of sand, avoiding the rocks until I have "more time" or "more energy" or "more of something... I don't know what... but something".

I often feel like I need a good 4 hour chunk of time to work away on a project, to produce a rock that is worthy! I think that I can maybe get that whole boulder broken down and cram it into today's jar. Hmmm... probably not.

I often look at my To-Do list and defer things to random days in the future. On that day, I wake up and find 40 things on my to-do list. Overwhelmed by the enormity of it, I look for something doable - usually a pebble or a pile of sand. I do that, just to gain some momentum.. Maybe just one more pebble. Oh heck, the morning's almost gone... more pebbles!!

It's like pebbles and sand are the junk food of tasks for me. They are easy. They satisfy me, at least for a while. But ultimately... the high doesn't last long. 

This all make sense to me. I see my patterns. I do tend to avoid the rocks - they are too hard, take too long, too much energy, need more work, etc. I gravitate towards the pebbles and sand - easy and quick. 

Will it change anything though? This awareness of how I hold tasks and my finite life? Well... time will tell, but I have started sitting down on Sundays and planning my week. I have started using time blocking to map out the day. By the time I've filled in appointments and health (exercise, healthy meals, journaling), I find that I usually have four reasonable chunks of time (a couple of hours or so): early morning (6-8 am), mid-morning (9-11 am), afternoon (1:30-4:30 pm) and evening (6-8 pm). That's about 9 hours total time. Broken up into chunks... but still a significant amount of time.

Time blocking from ToDoist

I spend the early morning creating... writing this blog and a couple of my other blogs. This is my time, to do what I love... to write. Mid-morning is usually work time - the contract work that I do. Afternoon is time for projects - right now, developing a direct booking system for our Airbnb which involves a number of different facets. I've been dragging my heels on this for months... so this is the biggest difference for me. Actually blocking these hours off to get this boulder tackled! The evening time is not my best time so I tend to use that for down time - listening to podcasts while I do puzzles, maybe mowing the lawn or putz-ing in the yard.

Sometimes the day goes sideways and I have to adjust my expectations. Maybe there's another rock (like a vet appointment for the cat) that nudges its way into the day. Or there is something urgent that drops into my day. Either way... I can adjust (re-calculating) and go with the flow. 

Just knowing that I have reserved time for the rocks in my life makes a huge difference. I don't feel like such a junk-food tasker! Binging on the simple/easy carb tasks of life!

Always, I am reminded that life is full of small steps. I can't cram that boulder/project into today's jar. Not a hope in heck. I can only tackle it in small steps, one rock at a time.

Sugar Detox (Again!)

I'm on Day 3 of my latest Sugar Detox and it's not fun. Aside from the cravings, I also have a headache, feel lethargic and unmotivated and am distressingly moody. I just want sugar. A brownie... anything to make this go away.

I keep telling myself that it "this too shall pass" and I wonder... why? Why do I keep putting myself through this? I know why... because once I get through the sugar detox doldrums, I feel great! And as the days and weeks of me feeling great go by... I start to think... I can have a brownie here and there... And then... I am back in a full-blown sugar binge.

So, as I sit here in Starbucks... I ask myself the age old question... when will I learn this life lesson? How many times do I have to come back to this point before I finally "get it"? I would hope that this is the last time. My age, my weight, my family history, my thyroid condition... all tell me that sugar is NOT good for me. So just stop. Let the buck stop here. Let the sugar detox end in March 2023.

Since this is being posted in late October... I can include a post script to let you know how this all shook out in the end. Did I make it my last sugar detox or... am I doomed to repeat this yet again. I certainly hope not because it is quite gross. I'm at the point where I wonder if I am going through some health crisis. I know it's just sugar detox but... sometimes it feels so much more than that. My mood is in the toilet. I can barely get myself motivated to do anything. Blech. 

Here's a blurb about sugar withdrawal:

"The symptoms of sugar withdrawal include headaches, decreased energy, an inability to concentrate and mood changes. Although it’s not completely understood why these side effects occur, research shows it's likely linked to the impact sugar intake has on our brain chemistry.

Eating sugar triggers a release of different chemicals, including endorphins - which boost your mood and reduce pain - and dopamine, which is linked to pleasure, satisfaction and reward. Sugar stimulates the brain's reward system and ultimately, it makes us feel good - so we are likely to want to eat more sugary food and drinks.

These kinds of changes can lead to dependence and addiction2. Therefore, giving sugar up may trigger unwanted side effects."

Or how about this one:

"It's during this early "sugar withdrawal" stage that both mental and physical symptoms have been reported – including depression, anxiety, brain fog and cravings, alongside headaches, fatigue and dizziness. This means giving up sugar can feel unpleasant, both mentally and physically, which may make it difficult for some to stick with the diet change."

These little blurbs make me feel slightly better. I can see myself in all of these symptoms... and I just have to make it through the first week before I know I will start feeling better. So... stay the course... and remember this for next time... Sugar Detox is no fun and I really don't want to keep repeating this.

PostScript - October 26, 2023

Yeah... we all know how this sugar detox ended. Another brownie splurge! And once you have one brownie, it is a slippery slope. But as I write this, I am trying something new and different. I consulted ChatGPT (the AI) for some ideas and it actually came up with a good one that I have not tried yet... I'll blog about it in due course.

Recycling Odds and Sods

There are some recycling things that continually perplex me. Do they belong in the recycle bin or not? I've got the main ones down pat but there are always some odds and sods that I dither over. So, I decided to buckle down and figure it out!

Plastic Bottle Caps

When I return by beverage containers to the depot for the deposit money... I always wonder what do with the bottle caps. Leave them on the bottle? Take them off and then what? Garbage? I seem to recall, years ago, that we needed to take the caps. But that's old news. Today, in BC, we can leave the bottle caps on!

Tetra-pak Straws

Same with these - dispose of them, or recycle them? Answer is... recycle them but pushing them down into the container once you're done drinking out of them. Amazing! I would love to see how these all get recycled.

Glass Jar Lids

These have always perplexed me. Again, I seem to recall that they were not recyclable, but that was years ago. I look at them, and I can see that they are a "mixed material" - some metal, some rubber bits. How is that recyclable? Turns out the rubber/plastic bits just get burnt off when the metal is melted down. I hope they have a scrubber that doesn't spew those fumes out into the atmosphere. So... short answer is... yes, you can recycle glass jar lids, at least here in BC, but tossing them into the blue bin.

Glass Mason/Canning Jars

A jar is a jar is a jar, right? Wrong. Apparently canning jars are different from regular jars (pickle, jam, etc). Commercial jars used for packaging are made from a different type of glass than mason or canning jars. So if you have a canning jar with a crack or a nick, and you want to recycle it, you are out of luck. Adding it to the glass recycling stream can contaminate it. A damaged mason jar can just be tossed into the garbage. Unless they are still usable in which case you can take them to thrift stores.

Plastic Cutlery & Other Oddities

In BC, we can now recycle plastic cutlery! I always thought they were too small for the conveyor belt systems, but I guess they've upgraded that. This also includes empty dental floss containers, empty plastic tape dispensers, the pump/spray thingie from spray bottles or pump-action lotion/shampoo bottles.

Aerosol Spray Cans

Spray paint cans (at least in BC) go to the paint section of the depot. But other spray cans (bug dope, hair spray, oven cleaner, etc) can all go in the blue bin AS LONG as they are completely empty. Metal is one of the most valuable materials to recycle so any bit of metal is probably recyclable.

I've said for a few years now that you practically need a PhD to figure out what can be recycled and what goes in the garbage. There are sooooo many things that can be recycled now. The Recycling Council of BC has a Recyclopedia site where you can start typing in the item (e.g. plastic... or glass...) and it will then suggest a list of plastic or glass items. Choose your item, enter your location and it will tell you where you can recycle it.

Plastic Craft Beer Can Labels

 Are you a beer drinker? Yes, then you can continue reading. If you're not a beer drinker... you can still continue reading and lament over yet more plastic in our lives!

I'm a beer drinker and I love my craft beers. Although I won't turn up my nose at a Rickard's Red... or a Sleeman Honey Brown. Even a Coors Light will do in a pinch. But craft beers... mmmm... those are good!

I was on the BC Ferries Inside Passage route a few months back. They serve alcohol (unlike the short routes between the mainland and Vancouver Island). And not just any alcohol, but local craft beers from Prince Rupert. Excellent!

It was a very nice beer but as I sat there and picked away at the label, I realized it was a plastic label, stuck on the naked aluminum can. And, me being me, I wondered... how does this get recycled???

With a regular aluminum beverage can, the product information is actually printed on the can. 

It's just the aluminum can and some ink. So when they get recycled, the ink gets burnt off, but that seems pretty minimal.

But what about these craft beer can labels? They are serious plastic. Are we supposed to peel the labels off? And dump the label in the trash (ugh) and recycle the naked can? Nah, they can't expect that!

So then what? Some recycling guy is going to pull plastic labels off of millions of cans? Nope. They will just get dumped in the recycling furnace and all of that plastic will get burnt off and generate toxic fumes which, hopefully, get scrubbed out of the furnace exhaust. But who really knows.

Small Batch Brewers

I dove deep into why craft beer makers use these plastic labels and the short answer is... they do small batches and those big commercial can offset-printers are too expensive and/or need a large batch to make it affordable or doable.

So, for craft brewers, it's more economical and easier to just use sticky labels or... shrink-wrapped plastic labels. You know the ones. You think you have a printed can but... if you look closely, it's shrink-wrapped and you can slice the label and get the stand-alone label (see photo at right).

Peel Your Labels

That is annoying too... all that plastic... what a waste. But here's the rub... yet again... they pass this off to the consumer. 

Here's a pic from a craft beer - Telluride beer (somewhere in the USA). See what the edge of that label says?

"PEEL OFF LABEL BEFORE RECYCLING"

Seriously. Their label of convenience tosses the onus on the consumer to peel off the label (and do what with it) and recycle the naked aluminum can. Or, the consumer can recycle the labeled can and bear the guilt of knowing that that plastic will pollute the atmosphere. Nice.

Some jurisdictions, like Quebec are now legislating that can labels cannot weigh more than 1% of the container weight (when it's empty). Since most labels weigh 10% of the can... that effectively eliminates most labels. And apparently they are moving in the direction of banning these labels entirely.

Contaminated Recycling and Fire Hazard

Even the recyclers are getting grumpy with the plastic labels on cans...

Michael Anderson, senior manager of recycling technology at aluminum recycler Novelis, says the potential fire risk involved with incinerating these cans is substantial. He tells me the plastic labels are about 10 times the weight of a can’s traditional paint coating, which makes them more difficult to burn off.

“Any combustibles, whether it be paper, plastic, or cardboard acts as a fuel source in our de-coating processes and at a minimum … hampers our productivity,” he says. “Worst case, the material flames so hot that it burns our baghouses and results in physical damage to our recycling process, ultimately resulting in a line stoppage until the equipment can be repaired.” (From The Takeout) 

Ink-Jet Technology

So what can craft brewers use instead of plastic labels? Does it just mean more expensive craft beer. No. As it turns out, new ink-jet technology developed in the last few years means that small batches of craft beer can now have product information printed directly onto the can. So there is no need for plastic labels or shrink-wrapped sleeves or any other added complexity.

Aluminum is infinitely recyclable, and can be turned around in as short as 60 days. So when we buy our favourite craft beer... and we find plastic labels or shrink wrap on the can... perhaps it's time to contact the brewery and inform them that there is another option.

So I did... I wrote to Wheelhouse Brewing Co. in Rupert... see below...

Letter Template

Hi!

Had one of your beers (Blacksmith) on the Inside Passage ferry a few months ago. Loved the beer but wasn't happy about the plastic sticker label. Peel off the label and toss it in the garbage? Or let the label and aluminum can go into recycling where the label is burnt off into the atmosphere? Not great.

I know that small batch brewers use these labels because offset printing is too expensive for small batches. But do you know there is new ink-jet technology that allows craft brewers to print directly onto the can? See links below.

I'm originally from NW BC and I'd really love to see a local brewer be successful. But I also care about the environment and can't patronize a brewer that doesn't share my concern.

More Reading

Aluminum container design guide - https://www.aluminum.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/AA_ContainerDesignGuide.pdf

Peel Your Cans - https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2023/04/03/peel-beer-labels-before-recycling-cans-brewers

Problem of Plastic Can Labels - https://thetakeout.com/are-shrink-wrapped-beer-cans-recyclable-1832063063

Cans not being recycled - https://www.craftbrewingbusiness.com/featured/craft-beer-has-a-recycling-problem-cans-are-not-being-recycled-and-shrink-wraps-are-a-big-part-of-it/

Small Batch Printing - https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/craft-beverage-can-printing

Ink-Jet Technology - https://www.craftbrewingbusiness.com/packaging-distribution/labeling-affects-recyclability-of-your-aluminum-beer-cans/

InkJet Can Printing - https://www.inkcups.com/blog/beverage-can-printing/

There are only 24 Hours in a Day

So much to do... so little time
(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

I know, I know... this is so obvious, why am I even blogging about this?? Wait and see...

So, there are 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week. That seems like an awful lot of time. The other obvious thing is that we all have the same amount of hours. No one has invented a time machine yet that can allow us to extend the day and create more hours. We always have the option of getting more space, more money, more stuff. But... more time? Nope, that's impossible.

Oh sure, you can hire someone to do the house-cleaning and yard-work and car maintenance. You can trade in some of your money to claw back a bit of time. But you still run up against that 168 hours a week. There isn't an infinite supply of hours.

Even that 168 is obviously not all that there is to it... Here's where I spend some of my hours in a week. I'm going to split weekdays from weekends because they look very different.

Weekdays - 5 days x 24 hrs = 120 hours available

Let's start with the non-negotiable basics... sleep, eat, a walk...

• 45 hours - 8 hrs of sleep/day and 30 min either side of that for wind-down and getting up
• 5 hours - breakfast - that includes cooking my oatmeal, eating it and washing up
• 5 hours - daily walk with my partner
• 7.5 hours - prep and eat the main meal - sometimes that might go quicker
• 2.5 hours - evening meal - usually more like a snack

Soooo... let me see... that's 65 hours which leaves me with 120-65 = 55 hours. 

Then we have other relatively essential things of daily living...

• 2.5 hours - journaling for about 30 min/day
• 10 hours - contract work
• 2.5 hours - grocery shopping and errands
• 2.5 hours - appointments of various types

And that leaves me with... 37.5 hours or, 7.5 hours/day of "available" hours on a weekday. And of those, 2.5 of those hours are from 6 pm to 8:30 pm which I consider to be generally "not computer time", otherwise I get too much blue light and can't sleep! So, really... I am left with 5 hours during the course of the day, give or take. So, that's 25 hours over the weekday...

Now, let's look at the weekends

Weekends - 2 days x 24 hours = 48 hours available

Again, let's start with the non-negotiable basics... sleep, eat, a walk...

• 18 hours - 8 hrs of sleep/day and 30 min either side of that for wind-down and getting up
• 2 hours - breakfast - that includes cooking my oatmeal, eating it and washing up
• 2 hours - daily walk with my partner
• 3 hours - prep and eat the main meal - sometimes that might go quicker
• 1 hour - evening meal - usually more like a snack

Soooo... let me see... that's 26 hours which leaves me with 48-26 = 22 hours. 

Then we have other relatively essential things of daily living...

• 1 hour - journaling for about 30 min/day
• 6 hours - yard maintenance
• 3 hours - a hike
• 2 hours - house maintenance
• 2 hours - manage household finances
• 1 hour - genealogical research

That leaves me with... 7 hours over 2 days or 3.5 hours a day. Although... right now, for example, there is a LOT of canning taking place, so that sucks up any excess time. Soooo... let's get back to the weekdays, because that's where the struggle is happening right now.

Everything I Want to Do

Right then... so 25 hours seems like a fair bit of time. But it's amazing how it just slips through my fingers without any warning at all. Here are some of the things I want to do in those 25 flex hours in any given week...

• 7.5 hours - write my various blogs - I currently have 3 of them on the go
• 10 hours - write and research my 4th blog (historical research)
• 12.5 hours - work on a book about one of the MI5 guys
• 10 hours - set up direct booking systems for our Airbnb (rental contract, email journey series, auto-payment processor, etc)
• 2.5 hours - manage our Airbnb and the one I co-host - includes tweaking daily and writing weekly IG & FB posts
• 2.5 hours - handle calls and emails

Let's see... I can already see a problem. But let's do the math - that adds up to... 45 hours. Stuffed into 25 hours. Hmmm... me thinks I have a problem with a 20 hour short-fall. I obviously can't do this. There just aren't enough hours in the week.

***taps fingers on table while frowning seriously***

I am eyeing those 2.5 hours every evening - between 6 pm and 8:30 pm... that's 7.5 hours right there. But all of my weekday activities require a computer. Yes, I could probably steal some hours there, but I would pay a big sleep price sooo... alas... that is not going to work. And besides... those are my puzzling hours when I listen to podcasts! Can't cut into the puzzle time... nooooo...

Now, the Airbnb direct booking system won't go on forever. My goal is to have it done within a couple of weeks, so that would free up 10 hours a week... but that still leaves me with a 10 hour shortfall.

The Blogs

Yes, I do have a lot of blogs... I have this one, my DNA blog and my playful bear blog. That's a lot of blogs. Plus... I set myself some fairly hard and fast schedules.

• Small Steps - I had it 3 times a week and have cut it to 2 times a week - I do have a one to two month buffer of pre-posted blogs but... if the buffer runs out, I am up against a wall and it is impossible to keep that pace up week after week, especially since I started the... DNA blog.
• DNA blog - right now, that's once a week... but who says it needs to be that often? Maybe I could go down to once every two weeks?
• Bear blog - I was trying to do that 3 times a week too, and it slipped to twice a week and now it's maybe once a week... if I can squeeze in the time. It's the one that slips off the conveyor belt most often now.
• Historical blog - I had slipped off of this one for over a year and recently started posting weekly again - but perhaps that could be pushed out to every two weeks...

These publishing schedules are all my creation. If I went to once a week with Small Steps... I'd be pre-posted into January, which would create a LOT of breathing room. Maybe I could do the DNA blog every two weeks?

Ultimately, it comes down to this. I need to choose where to spend my time. I can't do it all. It's impossible. And I hate impossible boundaries but... in this case... I really do have to get real and make a choice. I really do want to do this other book and I need to carve out time for that.

Revised - Everything I Want to Do

Alright... 25 hours is the goal... go!

• 1.5 hours - write blogs (DNA blog right now written once a week but pre-posted every 2 weeks to build up a buffer) (reduced from 7.5 hours)
• 2.5 hours - write and research my 4th blog (historical research) - published every 2nd, 3rd or (gasp) 4th week (reduced from 10 hours)
• 5 hours - work on the book about one of the MI5 guys (reduced from 10 hours)
• 10 hours - set up direct booking systems for our Airbnb (rental contract, email journey series, auto-payment processor, etc)
• 2.5 hours - manage our Airbnb and the one I co-host - includes tweaking daily and writing weekly IG & FB posts
• 2.5 hours - handle calls and emails

Ah, this is killing me!! This is 24 hours so I have a flex hour to allocate somewhere. But it is hard to make these choices! I know that once the Airbnb direct booking system is set-up, that will free up some hours but... still...

Could I steal hours from the weekends? Those 7 hours? Maybe... maybe not. I really try to keep things separate and there is already a lot of stuff that gets shoved into the weekends. Plus, I do want to spend some time doing "fun" things... maybe go to a movie with my partner, visit friends, read a book, etc.

Sometimes, there are random bits of time that show up. Maybe meeting didn't go as long as planned, or there weren't any emails or calls to make... and the trick now would be to seize those little 30 minute chunks and turn them into something useful. Through this process, I at least now know where I want to spend them!

Choices are Hard

I am also reminded that small steps are what make the difference. Five hours a week on the new book doesn't seem like a lot but it does add up over the course of a year. Especially if I focus and don't get distracted by other things. I've done a tonne of research for this book, so now it's just pulling things together. I can do this.

For now... this Small Steps blog is going to go to a once a week posting schedule. I am pre-posted well into January, more or less. And hope to keep that schedule going into the future.

So... "for now" this is what I will focus on. I have to keep reminding myself that this isn't forever. This is a temporary deferment and all can be reviewed in 3 months to see where I get to!