Hey cats,
I wanted to cover something a bit different today! This post is all about productivity. You see, it’s easy to try to be a hustler, but forcing yourself to stay busy all day isn’t actually the most efficient. You might feel like you’re having trouble accomplishing your goals, regardless of how much time you throw at them. That’s a pretty rational issue to have, especially with the “hustle culture” that’s become so popular in this day and age. It’s also common to get very distant from your friends, family, and loved ones when you’re chasing your dreams, but that’s not healthy! Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way.
So what?
So what am I doing here yapping? I’m shedding (Get it!? Funny cat pun…heh.) light on what it means to be productive and how to balance your life without burning out or pushing away those you love! There are a few key things we’ll be going over, so let’s get started!
Love who you are.
Love who you are? That may sound dumb, but it’s so easy to forget that without loving ourselves, we can’t love much of anything life has to offer. If you don’t take the time to enjoy your hobbies, your friendships and relationships, or self care, then good luck succeeding! I don’t know the amount of times I’ve gotten so lost in my passion that I forgot to eat for a whole day or I realized I hadn’t made sure my wife had eaten or I didn’t text my friends in WEEKS. That sucks.
Care about yourself, care about those close to you, and care about the things that replenish your happiness. Watch a movie, eat your favorite snack, go for a walk, whatever you want. Just make sure you’re not some random shell of a person because you’re too busy grinding away to realize you’re not yourself anymore.
Set up your work space.
Having a work space is a GAME-CHANGER, let me tell you! Earlier this year, a room opened up in me and my wife’s apartment, and all of a sudden, there was so much potential for a creative studio! If you didn’t know, I have a PC, a Mac, and a MacBook. Is that overkill? Maybe. But imagine having all of that crammed into one bedroom. What a nightmare!
When the time came, my wife helped me move my big ol’ desk over to the office, and I brought in my favorite arm chair, a shelf, and whatever else I wanted. For the first time ever, I was able to be creative with my space. I’ve since started using the office space EVERY DAY! And NO, you do NOT need an entire room to have a work space. Set up a cozy corner of your bedroom, use the comfy couch in the living room, sit on the stairs of your porch, whatever you can think of.
The goal here is to set up a space for YOU. Creating a dedicated space for yourself can be so motivating and keep you dialed in on your passion, which creates a much more efficient and refreshing workflow. You might realize you can work half the hours and get the same amount done, if not more. It makes a HUGE difference.
My favorite is just having a spot for snacks (I get it, I’m a chud), a couple delicious beverages, and some awesome personal items. Like my desk has all these Lego sets that my wife bought me, a giant Coca-Cola bottle, Hello Kitty figurines, and a lot of random clutter.
Rest…a LOT.
If there’s ONE part of this post I want you to listen to, it’s THIS ONE!!!!! Rest is VERY important. You genuinely can’t get anything done if you’re exhausted every day. Now, to that one person reading who’s going “well I don’t need sleep! 🤓”…. Yes you do. I was that person for a very long time. Years, actually. Constantly working. Trying so hard to be ‘the best’ that I forgot to just go to bed and wake up tomorrow.
While it’s true that tomorrow is never promised, I think it’s more important to reframe your mindset. Ask yourself “what do I need to do today so that I can go to bed on time and feel fulfilled? What will make today good?” The answer might shock you.
I used to spend 18 hours a day working, if not a little extra. Two full-time jobs PLUS coming home to work on Cheese Cat for the remainder of my day. I drank a few energy drinks a day, but it caught up to me after a couple years. I started getting insanely bad chest pain, pretty intense fatigue (regardless of how much I slept in), carpal tunnel, and some other NASTY side effects. And when those started to hit, I regretted not taking care of myself more.
So take some time to rest. Even if you’re not tired, just relax for an hour here or there. Trust me, your body will thank you.
Be confident.
Be confident, and maybe a little bit arrogant, but don’t be an ass. If you’re not confident in yourself and your abilities, how are you supposed to convince the world to trust your skills? I’ll wait…. Exactly.
I say “don’t be an ass” because some people get it twisted. Being confident in your abilities is NOT the same as being arrogant. Everyone is trying to find their purpose. Talking down to other people because you think you’re better? That just makes you a wiener without a bun. And that’s lame.
So what do you think?
Tell me what you think of this advice! I’m still learning myself to follow these key points, but I’m getting better about it over time. And it’s genuinely helped me SO much. I’ve been working on so much behind the scenes in addition to YouTube WHILE still spending time with my wife, taking care of my cat and dog, and going to two jobs.
But honestly, I’m also waiting for the day I can jump all-in on Cheese Cat and let go of everything that’s been weighing me down these past few years. I want to be a designer so bad that it’s pretty much the only thing I think about when anyone asks what I want to do with my life.
Anyways, I’ll talk to you all soon!
