Summer is hot and so is Chance the Rapper’s latest release, “The Big Day”. Check out this month’s playlist to hear my favorites from the new album, plus some other new-to-me tunes from the month of July.
Blood Orange
Chance the Rapper
Dodgr
Daniela Andrade
Far Caspian
GoldLink
Jaden & WILLOW
niña
Rhye
Snoh Aalegra & Vic Mensa
& many more!
Head over to Spotify to listen to this heat-of-the-summer playlist, and subscribe for early access to new playlists!
One of the things I’ve always wanted to do with this blog is share new music. So without further ado, here is my first of hopefully many monthly playlists.
BAILEN
Clairo
Cowboy Junkies
Daniel Caesar
Fruit Bats
Hatchie
Khalid
Mereba
Middle Kids
Tame Impala
& many more!
Head over to Spotify to listen to this mellow playlist full of summer vibes, and subscribe for early access to new playlists!
Just shy of three years ago, I wrote a blog post about the problem with perfectionism, and how to (gently) let go of it in order to let your creativity thrive. You’d think after three years of applying my own lessons, I wouldn’t need to be writing another post on the same subject, but here I am. The problem, it seems, is not as easy to defeat as I thought it would be.
As I continue to grapple with perfectionism and come up with new strategies to make “good enough” my new “done”, I thought I’d revisit my advice from before, share what worked and what didn’t, and provide some new advice I’ve picked up over the course of the past few years.
Learning to be more decisive by practicing quick decision-making in all aspects of your life and trusting your gut feelings. For example, making your decision about what you want at your local coffee shop before you make it to the counter. This definitely helped me get better about making smaller decisions more quickly.
That strategy still doesn’t work for me on bigger decisions like “should I apply for this job” or “how do I ask about a promotion” or “do I approach that cute guy and ask for his number”. I will definitely get caught up in panic mode about my own worth and back down.
Try The Five Second Rule to help make gut decision-making and everyday courage a bigger part of your life. Mel Robbins’ simple tip (which she invented to try and get herself out of bed on time in the morning), has been very helpful in getting me to trust my gut and make decisions—even big ones—much quicker. Just count down, 5-4-3-2-1, and make your decision. Then make a move to accomplish the task. It’s that simple!
Honestly, I want to say some part of my advice from the last post worked, but...it really didn’t. So I’m just going to move straight on to what didn’t work.
Everything. Sticking to my own deadlines is really hard. I’m not only a perfectionist but a procrastinator. I set a deadline and when it comes too close and I haven’t even started yet, my argument would becomes “well...I make my own deadlines so I can just push it back a day”. Which starts as a day, then become two days, three days, a week, a month, and so on.
Make yourself so busy that you have no choice but to accomplish your projects as they come up and/or when you set time out for them. I find making a paper to-do list helps immensely with this, as you can keep track of things you need to take care of as you think of them, then schedule them in accordingly.
Saying “no” to projects, timelines, or commitments that aren’t do-able. Protecting the integrity of your work and your health is so critical in this time where clients, managers, and friends alike expect constant and round-the-clock updates on your work. Learning your limits and when to say “no” helps you stay sane and make sure that you are performing at your best.
There are some situations where saying “no” isn’t an option, especially if you aren’t your own boss or you’re working within a timeline someone else created. In that situation, how do you handle unrealistic expectations? How do you still deliver quality work?
Say “no” when you can and manage expectations when you can’t. If you work for yourself, negotiate dates based on clients and/or programs you already have on your calendar. If you work for someone else, communicate your current tasks to negotiate and prioritize work and ensure that you complete the most important tasks on time. In my experience, communicating the (reasonable) timeline for when I can expect to get something done has gone over very well with my managers.
If you cringed when reading that, don’t worry – I do too, though less than I did when I last wrote an article on this topic. It’s still challenging to share something before I feel like it’s ready, but I’m not letting it stop me from putting myself out in the world and improving on the form later.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past three years, it’s that practice is the only way to get better at doing something. So if you’ve got a big idea or dream, 5-4-3-2-1, and just start working on it. Even if the steps you take are small, even if it’s something as simple as putting up a blog post, get started. Someone, somewhere, will appreciate your work. Don’t hold yourself back!
Do you have any tricks you use to just “get it done”? Share with me in the comments!
About a month ago, I woke up to some really loud banging coming from outside my apartment.
It was 7:30 AM and some workers were outside making the stairs next to our apartment accessibility-friendly, which apparently involved dismantling the step grips with a crowbar and a power-sander. After going to sleep late the previous night because of road work outside my apartment, this was…less than ideal.
But that morning, instead of being annoyed that my routine was disrupted, I decided to make a change and took myself out to get my morning coffee and work instead.
What a difference that change in attitude made! I found a parking spot at the cafe immediately. I got all of my work done in one of my favorite not-home offices, and I came back to my apartment ready to tackle an interview and a work day at the mall. I truly felt refreshed and happy that day. Even crazy customers at work couldn’t keep me down.
In today’s trying times, it can be easy to let negativity overwhelm you. But I’ve found that a positive mindset can make day-to-day life more bearable and the bigger problems more manageable. Here are some of the methods I’ve learned to help build a more positive mindset:
“Positive mind, positive life”. How many times have you heard that catchphrase? If your answer is a lot (like mine is), there’s a reason why. It works! Choosing to have a positive outlook on things, even when things feel challenging does miracles for improving your quality of life.
Whether it’s something simple like my example from the intro to this post or tackling a bigger problem like the health of our environment, there is almost always a way to create a positive mentality. In my example, I decided to find a way to make my day better instead of letting one problem ruin my day. For bigger problems, your impact and decision to make a change can influence others to do the same, thereby creating a much bigger change.
Something to try: Creating positive experiences for yourself. If you catch yourself focusing on a failure or something negative, find an activity you can do over the course of your day to reward yourself. My favorite bad day treat is taking myself to my favorite local coffee shop and doing some reading. Find what feels good for you and incorporate is as needed.
If, like me, you struggle with wanting things you don’t have, gratitude journaling is a great practice to try. It might sound a little cheesy in theory, but in practice can be absolutely life-changing. Imagine kicking the “grass is greener” mentality to the curb, making what you have enough. Doesn’t that sound amazing?
Make gratitude a bigger part of your life by adding gratitude journaling into your daily routine. Take time at the beginning or end of every day to document things you’re grateful for. Things you’re grateful for can range from a roof over your head down to a nice compliment you got from a boss or a coworker. You can even write down a joke that made you laugh. Everything that made you smile can count as something you’re grateful for.
Something to try: Write down 3-5 things you’re grateful for every day for a month. It shouldn’t take you more than 5 minutes a day. This small push to find things that make you smile every day will not only boost your creativity, but also boost your positive mentality.
My favorite way to stay positive is actually through helping others. There’s nothing that puts a smile on my face faster than knowing that I made someone else’s day by doing something nice. Sometimes this looks like buying someone else’s coffee when I get my own. Other times it just means complimenting someone’s outfit.
The little things we do to share goodness with others have bigger impacts than we might realize at the time. You never know when someone was having a really bad day and you genuinely asking how their day is going might help. Paying it forward is a great, selfless way to not only improve your own mood, but someone else’s.
Something to try: Listen to the Good News Podcast. This podcast shares examples of good news every two days, including ways that people give back (both big and small). Plus, it covers the stories in 10 minutes or less every day! It’s a manageable way to inspire good actions and remind you of good things going on in the world.
What are some of the ways you stay positive in your everyday life? Share with me in the comments!
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