Désiré’s Word Vomit

It often seems that every time I write something of late, someone must send me a message highlighting the fact that I’m always so angry and I need to smile more. If I smiled any more my face would be permanently like that, for I would be smiling not out of genuine happiness, but because someone else is displeased that my face displays the genuine thoughts and feelings my brain is processing at that moment. If you’re a disgusting human being, my face will reflect my truest disgust with you; authenticity is important to me, both in word and in facial expression. (You know the face I’m pulling right about now.)

2018, as I preached, really did blow in the winds of change, and this past winter, I spent my time reflecting and rebuilding myself, starting with my physical wellbeing. Following a few taster classes last November, I started my pole dance training in February, and it has been a rough 8 weeks. I’ve pushed myself more than I thought I ever could have, and honestly, I know that there is so much more I can do, but I’m holding back for fear of injury. My bravest, albeit not smartest, move was signing up for my studio’s annual gig in two weeks, which showcases the talent of the studio’s students and instructors. How I managed to think I’d fit the bill, gods only know, but I signed up for the thing, and I’ve invested in costuming so I better crack on with it, right? (I’m slowly dying inside.)

Along with that change has been a diet change, which I would say has benefitted me greatly; physically, mentally and emotionally. I’m not feeling out of sorts so I guess I’m spiritually grounded in that sense too. All bodies balanced and I feel great (except my shoulders which are constantly aching right now, and the bruises on both my legs from holding my body weight on a small surface area of skin!).

And of course, the “single hood” perseveres with my failure of finding another human to torture. I did attempt modern dating for a couple months, but it’s not only impossible for a woman to find a partner now, but it’s also demoralising. No wonder we have women who are doing unspeakable things to their bodies to attract a mate; like being covered in bruises from pole dancing! But! There will be a very exciting, juicy piece on modern dating coming up soon, so stay tuned!

Exercise, diet, and love life aside, it leaves one of the pillars of life untouched: career. And boy have I had one hell of a rollercoaster ride of a career so far. Guess what? It’s about to get more manic! My journey will not end at marketing, but it shall expand its horizons into health and wellness, and take credit from a lot personal experience with years of illness, recovery and food. Dietetics, I’m coming. But we all know that I can’t just have one thing… Desi doing one thing? Please. That will be the day when horses become unicorns and piglets take to the skies…

My marketing love will continue to blossom and grow as fast as technology shapes our market and consumers. My knowledge and application of that knowledge has never been more relevant. And for the low price of free, you’ll all learn about it here, because I’m a strong believer in sharing knowledge (campfire and marshmallows not included, please buy separately). This will run alongside my full time job at the helm of marketing. Now that I’m more settled, I’ve decided to put focus on  career and happiness, and by gods I will have them both, melded together by my pure willpower.

I’m enterprising and ambitious, but most importantly, I do not settle; and I also don’t hold grudges (I only remember the shit people do because mama ain’t raise no fool). The quiet of the last week, plus the anticipation of Spring, has brought forth a plan that I can finally put to work.

I’m really excited about the next quarter since the focus will placed on consistency, which has always been my Achilles heel. It’s great to have the opportunity to eliminate that. Introspection has also told me that my inconsistency stems from spreading myself too thinly across the million things I must get done simultaneously. This time, it’s more likely to be tasks in succession, more refined targets and less clutter. Tapering your life is always a challenge, especially for me.

So, time to end this word vomit and get cracking! And as always, thank you for your support. Without my readers, where would any writer be?

Peace, love and unicorns 💋

And PS: if you liked this and want to support, you can do so quite easily by clicking this button. Every little bit helps, and I’m eternally grateful to all those who have supported and continue to support 💋

This is going to be a rant. You’re duly warned.  

I.

Don’t.

Have.

Time.

Four words I hate to hear in a sentence, especially when it’s work related. “I don’t have time for this”, doesn’t mean that you don’t have time. It means you don’t want to do it, or you don’t have the patience for it.

So much work is being pushed aside because someone “doesn’t have time”. If you don’t have time to do your job, or take the dog for a walk, or cook a proper dinner for your kids, then what do you have time for? You’ve caught up on every episode of Walking Dead, Vampire Diaries and House of Cards. You’ve seen all the latest films too. But you don’t have time. You know what you don’t have? Priorities.

So many times I’ve seen projects being pushed aside because no one has time to do it; and as a result nothing gets done. This isn’t a time issue. It’s a priority issue. Most of us have to think about hundreds of things a minute. We’re exhausted as a species. But we’re also wasting a lot of time doing things that aren’t progressing us. We’re wasting time watching dozens of television series rather than dedicating an hour to exercise and taking the dog for a walk.

So. 220 words in; what is the solution. A list. A long list for each facet of our lives. Everyone at work wants something done with a due date of “yesterday”. Yesterday is not a deadline. Next week is a more viable option.

Clear your head and write down all the things you have to get done. Take that list and decide how long each task is realistically going to take and put that in your calendar or diary. Do three things a day from that list. For the daily or weekly repetitive stuff, make them repeated events in your calendar. Use your calendar like a day to day time manager.

If you have a task that is running over time, you have to decide if you need to complete it and bump something else, or work on it a little more later on. That’s where the priorities come into play. You have to decide if this must be done today. And if so, then complete it and bump the next task.

Auditing is important here. You need to make sure that you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing. For instance, I used to make note of what I was supposed to do in one calendar, and then wrote what I actually did in another. This allowed me to realistically plan other events and tasks because I had a record of what was done. And because it was in my calendar, I was able to look back with ease.

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. Most of us have eight hours at the office and we’re supposed to get eight hours of sleep, so that leaves eight possible working hours in a day. Factor in your commute to the office, and all the daily routine things you’re supposed to do, even eating, sleeping, and getting dressed for work. Put all of that into a digital calendar. Soon, you’ll have a clear picture of what your day really looks like and where you could or should be spending your time.

So how much time do you really have? And how much of it are you wasting?