Posted on by Lonwabo Makapela

Hello 2023!

I forget how energised and inspired I usually feel at this time of the year following the much-needed family time at home in the Eastern Cape during those one-and-a-half month-long December holidays. This year was very different for me. I had a 2-week long ‘winter break’ where I spent the first week trying to recuperate in bed from exhaustion in frigid Nashville. I spent the second week touring around New York – thankfully during a visit from my partner, who brought a feeling of South African comfort that I desperately needed after five months abroad. Much of my New York adventures were on foot, and so while the experience was incredible, I was exhausted when I arrived back in Nashville. Not the same relaxing family time that I would normally have had over December back home.

One of the hallmarks of being a Fulbright visiting student researcher is the opportunity to engage in invaluable cultural exchange experiences; I am grateful to do that during this time nine months that I am spending in the USA. When I’m not travelling through the USA, and instead have to knuckle down and get some work done, an average day entails a strict morning routine, block times for research throughout the day, and relaxed evenings. This vlog depicts an honest glimpse into a day in my life as a Fulbright researcher living in the USA, my apartment, my morning routine, and the stressful but exciting deadline leading up to my first international article submission.

The schedule on January 5th evolved slightly from its typical; let me explain.

Morning routine

I usually set my alarm for 05:45 in summer and 06:00 in winter and follow a strict routine until around 08:30. I always put my phone on the furthest table away from my bed because it forces me to get out of bed to switch the alarm off. I have a 10–15-minute quiet time first thing in the morning. As a former track and field athlete, I love doing a 30-minute or more home workout while listening to the radio. It’s a great way to energise, inform and prepare me for the day. I then drink my vitamins, shower, and make a straightforward breakfast of oats and coffee, which I eat while listening to a podcast episode. My current go-to is the Goop podcast. Once ready, I head to the library to start my work which is usually divided into set blocks of time. That makes my day significantly more productive.

Afternoons

The first slump of the day is at 12:30, so I usually go back home to eat and take a 40-minute nap. At 14:00, I wake up, drink a final cup of coffee for the day, and proceed to get through more work till 17:00. I prefer doing this work from my apartment, mostly out of habit, but also to maintain my workflow in cases where I have to continue working till later than expected.

Evenings

At 17:00 I usually attend an extramural activity like choir, or a walk at the centennial park. When I’m in South Africa, these extramural activities also include pottery classes. Once I get back, I prepare a light dinner and binge on some YouTube videos, which over the last week has included the ‘day in my life’ vlogs of my fellow SAYAS bloggers. I begin winding down at 21:00 by gratitude journaling and filling out my planner for the following day, and once that is done, I head to bed.

Amongst all this structure, I have had to update my routine to make my transition to the States easier. I anticipate reshuffling and adjusting it once again upon my return to South Africa.

Posted on by johanne_marais

Master the Science of Slowing Down

As with all diurnal cycles, mine begins with the sunrise. I blink my eyes open in the blue hour when some of the city still sleeps. Then, the hum of a singing bowl encounters my body with the crispness of morning air and a subtle shiver. Invigorating!

A so-called typical day in my life as an MSc student at the Wits School of Physiology can be tricky to convey. I often find that the best I can do is have a plan but go with the flow. Whatever transpires, the sun will rise again tomorrow. I can plan to read 30 journal articles a month, and sometimes the one-a-day mentality works out. Yet, life outside of the university perimeter does not slow down to ensure I don’t sometimes miss my one-a-day aim. The vlog that I’ve created to share a Friday in my life with you reminded me how I try to integrate three main themes into every day:

  1. Rest. This theme moves beyond just adequate, restorative sleep. It embraces that I am a person who makes mistakes and needs to regulate my emotions. This is “down time”, not processing power. This is giving yourself space to do what you can to breathe a little deeper. Prioritize intentional rest.
  • Digest. Postgraduate “demands” are often overwhelming. Feeling stuck between writing paragraphs or tearful frustration after an hour of feedback can rain upon your progress parade! It becomes increasingly useful to digest my day, one metaphorical meal at a time – the information I have taken in; the discursive encounters with friends and colleagues; or the embarrassment of nearly hitting a professor with an obnoxiously oversized, yellow sign that reads “Silence please. Exams in progress.” Sorry again, Prof. Woodiwiss!
  • Invest. My friends ask “So, if you’re still waiting to finalize some niggly bits of your project, what do you do to stay busy?”. I make it a point not to stay busy, but rather to keep motivated. Each day, I do as much as is within my reasonable capacity to invest cognitive energy, desire, passion (and even complacency, fear, fatigue) and patience into what I want to create for my future. I read, write, engage, challenge, and absorb.

How might these themes materialize? Playing piano in the Adler Museum has kept me balanced on lengthy campus days (reads: rest). I also spend a portion of my work-and-play time analyzing starred sections of journal articles and transforming my thoughts to prose, not for reasons other than love and intrigue (hello, howzit, digest)!  I volunteer for the South African Society for Sleep and Health as a content creator. I allocate about five hours a week to this (invest, invest, invest).

So, rest when you need to. Find your way to chew up the challenges of your day. Finally, this is a gentle reminder that on some days self-investment means doing less. Less than that. Lesser, still.