It's a tough time for everyone right now, as much as we try to push through it's understandable to feel like you've fallen out of routine or lost focus on your goals. I myself can relate to this completely, and from tweets I've seen and conversations I've had with other devs, I know it's more common than we think.
That's why now more than ever it's important to continue to celebrate your wins. You may not finish that project, or land that job (just yet!), but the small wins towards the big picture will help.
If you follow me on Twitter (@heysarahpaz), you'll know that I've been pretty transparent about my struggle getting back on track with my regular routine. My mornings used to start at 6am, a study session before work, midday workout, then study at night before repeating the next day. But recently I've been rolling out of bed at 8:20am, feeling exhausted, mentally drained, and having trouble staying focused. I'm still studying and trying to stick to my study schedule I've created for myself (I talk about it in my blog post Setting Smart Goals - Do They Really Work? ), but I know I'm not hitting my full potential.
One thing I'm finding helpful is to add learning related notes in my gratitude journal. I started using one as February to keep me in a positive mindset and improve my personal happiness. What I do is end off each day noting 5 things I am grateful for, mostly they've been personal but within the last few weeks I've made sure to add small notes on what I've learned. Trying to refocus my goals, and not let the decrease in productivity take over. The purpose is to remind myself of the milestones I'm hitting. Even though I'm not completing the larger vision of the goals I've originally set for myself, I'm accepting that I am still making progress and as small as these steps are they are worth celebrating.
A couple recent examples include:
- Having a mentor who is easy to talk to and makes me feel comfortable asking questions
- Being able to code daily for work even though I'm not in a dev role (yet!)
- Connecting with other great people in tech through weekly Zoom happy hours
- Learning about redux-logger
- Learning more about Sass variables
Another small thing I've started as of 2 weeks ago was logging down what I've learned each day in a daily planner, highlighting days where I feel most accomplished. I plan to revisit this on a bi-weekly basis as a reminder of my growth. I hope this will be helpful especially now, when days have blurred and time has no meaning.
The point I'm trying to make here is that we should continue to celebrate our wins, especially at times like these when you may be feeling like you haven't had any. Trust me, you have! As small as they may be, they are worth celebrating. I'm hoping that these small efforts will help me get back to my normal routine, stay positive and of course not forget all the progress that I am making. If you're currently continuing to celebrate your wins 👏 👏 👏! Let me know what your weekly wins were, and how you're keeping track. If you haven't been, take a moment to think back at the past week - I can guarantee there are a few wins worth celebrating!
Photo by Randalyn Hill on Unsplash
Top comments (4)
Keep at it. Those small wins will build up to a big win eventually. 💪 Also, I hear ya about routine. Pre-pandemic, I was training hard at the gym 3 days a week and swimming one day a week. Now it’s been reduced to 30min watching my gym’s YouTube videos and having a lot of difficulty being motivated.
Thank You so much😍
This really helped.
You're welcome! I'm happy it helped! 😊
Thanks, your post really represents myself in many senses. I'll take your advices ;)