This month is zipping by really really fast. Many things are coming together offline that is keeping me super busy. I had no idea when I had posted last month about being busy that things would get this hectic.

Without dragging you into too much details, I have said yes to a few projects that on the surface was not going to squeeze my time too much. Now, in reality, it is a massive time crunch.

In the thick it…

The second part of the first post about facing change was supposed to arrive this week. However, in the middle of facing this change, I’ve come across a few observations that is worth sharing. Then we can return to the topic of change later.

First, I’ve raised the bar of my goals without consulting myself. Yeah, funny really. I realize I’m expecting a higher level of performance from myself than before. That is all great and good. However, that higher performance requires more energy and preparation. Something that is eating up my sleep and creative time.

Next, more and more of my activities is shifting from structured to flexible. Meaning. I can opt to do something today or postpone it to tomorrow… and it won’t bother anyone. I’m in that sweet spot of creativity writing that no one has to know what is being created until it’s released. The temptation to put things off runs ultra high (like, writing this post for next week instead of this week).

Third, kicking projects down the road, as tempting as that is, means a much more crowded schedule later on. Right now, the last thing I need is new projects on the plate later this summer… as in new projects that started late and is now crowding the agreed upon new projects.

How do you survive this

That’s a good question. One I’m asking myself a lot of these days. The word priorities just does not seem to capture the concept at all.

I think more than anything, the creation of time to plan and adjust plans is what is keeping me going and sane. Somewhere along the way, the need to pause, think, reflect, and plan has grown even more important for me. Looking ahead the old fashioned calendar away helps.

What is most critical, I’ve learned to not punish myself for not reaching a goal as quickly as I thought I’d be able to. That time spent chastising myself often lead to waste and frustration that further slows my progress. Now, I’m more apt to ask myself what can I learn from this missed deadline, how can I reschedule, and what will I do better moving forward.

Some days, it is just a matter of getting going and letting passion and focus catchup. Nevertheless, be easy on yourself for being human instead of a machine.

I’m also trying harder than ever to see my day today grind as actually being fun. I’m changing my mental approach. This is helping me stay cool and stay the course.

Where to next

Reality is this, there will be weeks when I just can’t keep up with the blog. However, those weeks will have to be really because I just couldn’t make it work… not because I felt badly about another project not working so I’m putting everything on hold until I feel better. (not saying you shouldn’t have down days at all, I have several of those a month)

The next few weeks will be filled with content creation for other projects. I suspect I will be totally tired and too exhausted to think about blogging. Such is life. On the other side of this busy start to summer, the satisfaction of knowing that I’ve grown is going to be it’s own reward.

One think I know for sure, there are two things I will not sacrifice to get these gigantic projects done. Sleep and time with my family. Meaning. I won’t intentionally skip out on their time just so I can sit and feel badly about a deadline or work through the night for a deadline only to be worthless to my family on the other side of the night (not saying I’ve not worked through the night before… just extra careful that it is worth it)

This post is just a reminder to myself to breathe. I’m in the middle of this series of changes. I’m going to see the results I’m after. I just have to keep making every day count. So, this post is now written because I am facing the thick of these changes and trooping on as one should. Will I dive into the projects and reveal them? Maybe, for now, too soon to say.

Whatever you’re working on, no matter how dark the days may feel, no matter how draining the moment appears… the rewards make up for it if it’s the right goal you’re chasing. Take a moment to breathe, allow yourself to exhale, then, pick things up and go.

Until next time, have a very blessed and awesome day/week