Author: MAÔ

It’s been a struggle to remain consistent. With anything. The past few months (or nine, if we’re being honest) have been a period of adjustment for me. Adjusting to Atlanta. Adjusting to job inconsistency within my industry. Adjusting to a smaller apartment, and a growing social circle, and increased requests for me to assist with projects.

I have told some of those closest to me that I am selfish with my time, so that I can make room for creating. Even still, I’m just not getting the work done.

Here, we try to start yet again. And plan to make time to write, create, and nurture others’ creative projects that I am in a position to help with.

The day can fly by unceremoniously, without notice at times. If you didn’t take control at the onset, it can leave you with nothing to show for it.

Leave time to create. Better yet, make time.

You’re the only one who can.

When one lacks focus, even the best of intentions can become muddled. And focus, like most things, can be developed.

It starts with paying attention.

I think this can be hard for many of us. There’s so much that presses in. And during this week, I notice just how much time I lose.

So, that’s a start. Seeing where time goes. And figuring out how to reclaim just a bit of it.

The balance.

“Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth.” – Mike Tyson

Try as we might, something will go wrong. How we deal with it is more important that what actually happens.

Stick with it. Keep a positive outlook. And don’t give up.

When figuring out what needs doing, you first have to figure out what you’re already working on. Peter Drucker once said,” what gets measured, gets managed”. And if you’re going to rework your life from the ground up, measuring as many aspects as possible is going to be very important.

Since I’m starting from scratch, the next step is to take stock. So, as I’ve done numerous times in the past, I’m taking everything that I can, and putting it in an “inbox”.

In David Allen’s Getting Things Done, it’s listed as one of the first steps in becoming more productive.

So, it’s a good next step.

It’s been an interesting time in my life. There have been a number of ups and downs. Achievements and setbacks. And I’ve been trying to sort through it all.

We all struggle, from time to time, to keep a grip on everything. On figuring out how to get a handle. And so, I’m taking a from-scratch approach. This is baseline, and everything after is movement.

We’ll see where it takes us.

When you plan, you’re often told to plan for the future. The distance. What you want to achieve later on.

But what about today? Are you giving that any thought? Or are you just coasting.

For a freelancer, it’s easy to make time to work. What’s harder is separating work from personal life.

It’s important to leave time for both.