I can’t remember a time where I haven’t been juggling more balls than those I could handle, and I’m sure there is also a lesson here somewhere. Keeping the balance between maintaining a constant push forward in my professional life but also doing the same outside of it, whilst the days keep insisting on having the same amount of hours, is… complex.
To navigate this, I cycle between a few different mantras:
- Push yourself but don’t ask too much of yourself: This means that you will need to know your next real achievable goals, otherwise you’ll be setting yourself towards failure;
- Plan the shit out of everything: In short, set yourself to success by starting with a framework of time and expectations to keep tabs on progress, or lack of.
And lastly, this one.
If after going over all of these steps we’re not moving forward, we are either following a wrong plan and need to review our goals, framework and kick it again; Or we’re doing a bad job at sticking to it. My go-to Mantras for the latter are always:
- Don’t overthink, just do it: Which speaks a lot to the typical self induced sabotage one comes up with while tackling a new challenge.
- Discipline and Persistence are the way: At the same time the most important, valuable, impactful and hard to follow piece of advice.
Either way, get a plan, follow the plan, update the plan. There is no shame in failing, only in stopping trying. Life is too precious to be wasted and time is too short to just “wing it”.