I feel like I am a terrible lab partner because I can't focus properly and get so distracted even as we sit on a voice call working together and I basically never feel that good "oh-yeah-I'm-being-so-productive-and-getting-things-done" feeling. And I'm a bit worried that this isn't a "it's hard working from a distance"-thing but a "you have a problem with self-control"-thing.

I know you’re asking about others, but if you don’t mind me asking, are there things that you can identify as feeding into your feeling of a deficit of self-control?

Also, it seems as if another effect in feeling like you may not have the self-control that you wish you had, is that you are feeling like you can’t reach a state of flow, is that right? If so, how are you seeing your self-control as contributing to your ability to reach a flow state?

Now to answer your question: things are weird and uncertain, but not bad on a personal level. My parents are both retiring soon and if I’m honest, I wonder about that transition for them. They are both very community-minded people and I wonder how transitioning to an undefined state of meaning will affect them.

It seems also as though their friends are all retiring at once as well, so I’ve been trying to encourage my parents to think about ways in which they might satisfy their communal and pro social needs among their retirement “cohort” if you will.

I guess a short way to sum up things for me is that I’m really feeling the urge to find greater stability, which is new for me. But, as a dude in his mid 30’s, maybe that’s not a surprise, even if it’s surprising to me!