“Keep grinding boy, your life can change in one year
And even when it’s dark out, the sun is shining somewhere”
– J. Cole on “Premeditated Murder“
It’s really easy to get overwhelmed, especially when you have a lot on your plate. From responsibilities at home, ambitions for the future, to all the multitasking you may be carrying professionally, these are just some examples of things that we’re trying to juggle. It’s tough to balance it all sometimes. So when you feel like you got a million things on your list (and your mind), take a moment…and remind yourself how important it is to pace yourself.
What up y’all? What’s going on? Hope you guys are staying safe out there, especially in a krazy world right now. Welcome to the Ajaxxx.com April 2020 Opinions Column (we’ll pretend this was actually published in April lol). For those that are new to the site, this is where I talk about whatever is on my mind. For those that are returning, welcome back! With that said, let’s talk about the importance of pacing yourself.
I had a conversation recently about taking on too much and how challenging that can be. When you have 100 things to do, you can feel buried in work. Or, maybe you’re just not prioritizing. Whatever it is, without a system to stay organized, it becomes very difficult to get anything done. So instead of feeling helpless, take back control. How though, ‘Jaxxx? Well, I’ll share some things that help with me!
First thing I’d suggest is to write stuff down! It’s so easy to get stuck when everything is in your mind. Then, when you forget something, you might feel bad, and to compound to that, you may also get pulled away from the other thing you’re doing. By writing stuff down (or typing it), you are now TRACKING everything that you’re doing. For example, if it was me, I’d be able to see I have a song to record today, another verse to write, and a video to edit. Also, I’m not taking on too much. I made a conscious decision that hey, these are the activities I’m working on today so I can give myself a finite number of tasks to accomplish.
Another thing you can do is remind yourself that the work will always be there. No matter how productive you are today, there will be more work waiting for you tomorrow. It never ever goes away…ever. So, it’s important to set cutoffs, draw hard lines, and also focus on decompressing. These actions can actually make you MORE productive cause it’ll have your brain feeling sharper and more well rested.
And remember, if you take on too much at once, you may start to lose control, or feel like you are. And when that happens, everything suffers. You don’t want that to happen. So, take on what you can, set up markers for how much you want done by a certain time, and keep moving forward. And the more you get into these habits, the more efficient you’ll become. Word up!
Aight y’all, I hope that helps you like it helps me. Until the next episode…stay up, stay safe, and hold ya head. Ajaxxx signing out, PEACEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
