On Saving daylight

Assume it’s Saturday, the 9th of March.

Photo by Radu Marcusu on Unsplash

I woke up to the bluest of skies today and the first thought that played in my mind was, “wow, God is such an artist!🥹” As is evident now, i couldn’t take a picture so you’ll have to take my word for it.

Hi you, how are you feeling today?

This letter has been moments due - well at least in my opinion - and i was wondering if the delay to edit a previous draft or write a new one was for any particular reason. If it was, i’m yet to realize the reason. However, something makes more sense to me and i think this could be the reason. wait a sec.

I habitually binge-read newsletters, articles, post captions, etc that i’ve been piling for a while. there’s nothing to it, really. I just sometimes am unable to psyche my mind to assimilate some things, so i just postpone them. Anyway, last night, i’d set my mind to catch up on Oriade’s letters and one of the entries i read made enough sense to suggest why i didn’t write this letter earlier.

Michael explained in this entry that he and his friends worked together in marketing and they put in so much effort into their work. They decided to start reporting their tasks for a particular project every end of the week. However, whenever the week ended, they would not have completed all. This went on for a bit till the project they were working on was nearing completion. They had to pick up pace at this point, so they began sending in reports on wednesdays instead. They completed and reported their tasks by wednesday and eventually cropped their one week meetings to three days. This went on till the project was completed. He’d eventually realize that they could have submitted their work a lot earlier, they were just relaxed because they had been given more than enough time to work on them.

This is what i learnt last night. I’m sure it’ll not just stick to me and become habit immediately, but often times, knowledge is retained by sharing so here goes: The best way i can maximize my time and improve my work rate is to ask “How much time do i need to get this done?” instead of “How much time do i have to get this done?” This, Oriade says, is one of the things Nathan Barry, the CEO of ConvertKit explained in this podcast episode.

The idea that we have more than enough time to complete a task - personal or work, enables our mind to relax into working in slo-mo. We pace ourselves according to the timeline we’re given and not according to how much time we actually need to get the tasks done. A manifestation of this is taking elongated breaks while working. An idea that i’m trying to engage some more is, “i’d rather have more hours to myself after completing this task” as opposed to “let me do small and rest. i’ll continue from where i stopped, i still have 5 more days.” As much as the latter isn’t always bad, it’s a catalyst to procrastination, and my guess is no one wants that.

If you want to build something for yourself aside a 9-5 system, your best bet is to learn and engage practical suggestions tailored to help you utilize and maximize your time efficiently, i think you’ll find these helpful.

• BITE SIZE WORK.

  Salem, one of the creators i respect  once said that it’s best to spread out your task in bits to achieve efficiency. This means if you have a complex task to embark on, breaking it down into actionable steps is the way to go.

  For instance, you have to send a Q1 KPI to your team lead at work at the end of March. It’s the 13th of March now, you could start by opening a folder and  collating the images that are key to the data you want to report. That’s a necessary first step.

  The day after, you could add some specific data to the folder. When you put these together in bits, before you know, the bulk of the work is taken care of and you complete it in less time, before it’s required for submission.

  This is a better approach compared with diving into a world of data a night before the report is due.

• TIMERS ARE FOR YOU.

  Timers are helpful in building practical habits to rework your mind into a new system of working. So you best set realistic timers.

  One technique i find helpful is the Pomodoro Technique. I paid more attention to this while studying for my finals in Uni. Widely, it was a success for me. Here’s how it works.

  You set your timer for 25 minutes, and focus on a single task until the timer rings. Record whatever it is you completed then take a 5 minute break. After 4 25-minute tasks,take a longer break for 15-30 minutes. You can use this opportunity to walk or stretch your limbs, too. When you do this for hours on end and you’ll find that you’ve ticked off a lot more important tasks off your to do list. which leads me to this.

• CREATE TO-DO LISTS.

  This syncs with the other two points. Creating a to-do list is instrumental in time management and work efficiency. When you idealize your tasks, they may seem a lot bigger and overwhelming in your mind. Putting them down is the way to go. To-do lists help reduce task anxiety. Often times, even when you actually have so much to do, putting them down and delegating them to certain hours of your day/week makes it less overwhelming and dreadful.

  Because our goal is practical habits to incorporate, don’t pile heavy tasks on your to-do lists. Be honest with yourself. I want to create a content calendar, for instance. I’ll first take out time for research per platform. Why? Because it can get overwhelming to focus on various social media platforms and websites of 10 brands. Does this form a picture in your mind? So instead of setting myself up for overstimulation and eventually ineffective research, I break them into smaller bits; look at their websites first, their IG then every other platform at intervals. This way, i complete my tasks in bits and also efficiently.

Be honest with yourself about how long you need to complete a task and stay true to that.

These are some of the things i’m focusing on in order to manage the few things i’m occupied with at the moment. I’ve come to see for myself that the process is more gratifying than the destination. The process of building systems that are crucial to your development and growth is satisfying, and that in itself is the success not the goal you’re hoping to achieve.

To tie it all together, here’s all I’ve written to you about.

We delay our tasks and have less time for our selves because we work within the time we’re given, as opposed to the time we need to get the tasks done. I’ll write faster if i admit how many hours i need to edit an earlier written draft or write a new one. You’ll complete your tasks at the office or your home office/workspace and have extra hours to yourself (if that’s something you need, actually) if you take time out to split up your tasks into bits, put them down in a to-do list and set a timer for the execution of these tasks.  We get to decide how long it takes us to do the things within our care.

This is what i learnt last Friday night.

My guess is there’s at least one thing you do to manage your time better, so could you pls share? I’m sure at least one of us will find it helpful.

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Big shoutout to my women! Although belated, i’m excited to wish you a happy international women’s day, star girl. You’re excelling and shining so bright, it’s so inspiring. I love love you and i’m always in your corner. Here’s to living large and spreading wider than the tentacles of a bean sprout.💗

Media i consumed in recent times. (this is a better substitute for “attachments”😂)

• I read Lisa Jewell’s The Invisible Girl , and i’m convinced that’s my Lisa Jewell initiation. I love a well written, perfectly paced thriller, and this book is just that. If you pick it up, i’d like you to know Josh is one of my fav characters. He’s so laidback and emotionally intelligent, and that’s just my rodeo.

• I started listening to You Can Rest Here pod by Mazino Malaka and wow. The podcast is a vocal representation of rest. I love how the truth about the gospel of Christ and faith is dispelled in such a soft and concise manner.

• I created a playlist consisting of 3 artists majorly and 2 others as an afterthought. I’ll probably work on it better and share it here? I like it. It’s like a soft hum at the base of my diaphragm, just mesmerizing and captivating.

That’s it for today. Have a good day today and make sure no one takes you fi idiat today.🫶🏽

Till i write to you again, all my love,

Oluwapelumi.💕