Thriving Not Just Surviving
“What she tackles, she conquers” -Gilmore Girls
Hi there! I’m Allyson and anyone who knows me knows that my typical answer when someone asks how I am is usually, “Surviving, not thriving.” There isn’t one person in the world that isn’t having a hard time right now. We’re all in the same boat that is being rocked by the world’s current events. More than ever I have found myself desperately needing a schedule and a routine. Otherwise I will find myself five episodes of Gilmore Girls deep still in my pajamas with absolutely nothing done. Who can relate? With everything going on I have had to find new ways to keep myself motivated and productive. Now is not the time to let fear and laziness win over your goals. For myself, these simple tasks have made all of the difference.
1. Make your bed
I know this seems silly and self-explanatory, but if you make your bed you’ve already accomplished one thing that day. You can already mark one thing off of your to-do. It will also stop you from crawling back in it and watching Gilmore Girls, which leads me to my next tip.
2. Have a designated workspace
Do. Not. Try. To. Work. From. Your. Bed. It doesn’t have to be a desk, but you need to have a separate area where you can focus on the tasks in front of you. Make a vision board, set your computer screen as something inspiring to you, or just sharpen your pencils. I don’t care what it is but make a space and make it your own.
3. Put your headphones on and go off
Sometimes all of my thoughts and worries come rushing towards me at one time. One thing that has helped me tune out my self-doubt is to turn on some music. I don’t care if it’s Kayne, Taylor Swift, Broadway show tunes, or classical music. Find what works for you and stay focused. Oh, and put your phone away while you’re at it.
4. Set a timeframe & take frequent breaks
To keep life somewhat normal I try my best to follow the 9-5 timeframe. In order to keep myself sane and avoid burnout I take a ten-minute break every fifty minutes. You could even do a five-minute break every thirty minutes, it’s whatever works for you. Check your phone, watch a TikTok, load the washing machine, do whatever and then get back to work. You will feel more focused and come back to whatever you are working on with a clear mind.
5. Get to work
I know that’s easy to say, but for me the hardest part is to sit down and get started. One of the best things my last boss did for me was have me create my own to-do list/goal detail sheet. It held me accountable and helped me to see what I was working towards. Listed on this sheet was a goal summary section, my ranked key motivations, actions that I needed to reach my goal, and my end reward for myself. As a visual learner who quickly finds herself overwhelmed this helped me to break down what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. It can be hard to be motivated with no end goal, so create your own reward system.
While all of these things have truly helped me, I firmly believe that the most important thing you can do right now is keep your eyes on whatever prize you’re working so hard towards. You can have the best work ethic in the world, but that means nothing if you don’t have any confidence that you can be a success. Sometimes in life you have to be your own cheerleader and that’s okay. You might be the only person in the stands cheering you on, but having you believe in yourself is all you need. On some level we all want to be Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat in the air as the song plays “you might just make it after all”, or for those of you who don’t know who that is, Elle Woods at the end of Legally Blonde. Regardless of which you relate to, what they both have in common is that they did what they set out to do and accomplished their goals. You are the one who is in charge of what you do, the choices that you make, and where your life goes. If it makes a difference know that whatever you set out to do, I will always be rooting for you from afar.
A big thank you to Girl Boss Collection for giving me the opportunity to be a guest blogger. I had so much fun writing this piece and I hope that you enjoyed it. For more content from myself feel free to subscribe to my blog https://keepingupwithkaraffa.home.blog and follow me on Instagram @allyson_blairxo.
-Xo ABK
