I used to struggle with this as well. I get distracted/excited by new passions pretty easily. Once I realized that I can really only focus on one thing passionately at a time (besides my primary daily work for $$), things got easier.
Some passions, like fitness and music, have sort of simmered down (but not abandoned!), but sometimes I'll make a push and focus on learning some new material or revamping my workout plans.
It was tough for me to admit that I only have a limited amount of time, energy, and focus available, but once I did I think it helped me to avoid putting too much on my plate and prioritize what 'passion' I should keep my focus on. It also helped me realize that switching 'passions' too often spreads me too thin and I don't accomplish anything but buying a bunch of tools I won't use and learning a bunch about subjects I won't really accomplish anything in...
Currently writing open source code and helping partner developers as an Integration Engineer at Login.gov. Author of Foot in the Door: My Self Taught Journey Becoming a Software Engineer
This is really helpful, I'm curious, were there any apps or exercises you tried that helped you to prioritize your passions? I hope I can prioritize mine as well and reach a better equilibrium.
The transition to self-employment for me was a big change and facilitated a lot of introspection and time-management focus. Writing out goals and trying to really decide how I want to spend my time and live my life in a long-term and sustainable sense led me to taking a long hard look at how I can embrace a passion while having it be rewarding and even profitable in the long-term. I really enjoy coding, and once I realized what realms I liked working in the best and started keeping my focus narrower things got clearer. I also realized that passions that are detrimental to other aspects of my life can be really toxic, even if they're fun. I definitely avoid certain types of addictive video games and other hobbies I can get too sucked into at the expense of my health and success. Hope you figure it out!
Currently writing open source code and helping partner developers as an Integration Engineer at Login.gov. Author of Foot in the Door: My Self Taught Journey Becoming a Software Engineer
I have played thought about taking the plunge into self employment myself, there are quite a few things about it that appeal to me. So would you say being self employed has helped you to figure out what your major passions were and help you be able to juggle them without burning out or being too scatterbrained?
I'd say it more forced me to, lol. Lots of people suggest a transition to self-employment rather than jumping of a ledge, and I fully agree there. I was already doing freelance work part time before I quit my day job, and it was still a tough transition in a lot of ways. When no one is looking over my shoulder, the willpower cost of 'getting stuff done' seems to go up, so it's even more important for my work to be something I enjoy doing as much as possible. For me, doing software development is nice because I can really get into what some people call 'flow' and I don't feel like I'm working at all, just fully into the task at hand. I definitely didn't have that as often doing various sysadmin stuff.
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I used to struggle with this as well. I get distracted/excited by new passions pretty easily. Once I realized that I can really only focus on one thing passionately at a time (besides my primary daily work for $$), things got easier.
Some passions, like fitness and music, have sort of simmered down (but not abandoned!), but sometimes I'll make a push and focus on learning some new material or revamping my workout plans.
It was tough for me to admit that I only have a limited amount of time, energy, and focus available, but once I did I think it helped me to avoid putting too much on my plate and prioritize what 'passion' I should keep my focus on. It also helped me realize that switching 'passions' too often spreads me too thin and I don't accomplish anything but buying a bunch of tools I won't use and learning a bunch about subjects I won't really accomplish anything in...
Good luck!
This is really helpful, I'm curious, were there any apps or exercises you tried that helped you to prioritize your passions? I hope I can prioritize mine as well and reach a better equilibrium.
The transition to self-employment for me was a big change and facilitated a lot of introspection and time-management focus. Writing out goals and trying to really decide how I want to spend my time and live my life in a long-term and sustainable sense led me to taking a long hard look at how I can embrace a passion while having it be rewarding and even profitable in the long-term. I really enjoy coding, and once I realized what realms I liked working in the best and started keeping my focus narrower things got clearer. I also realized that passions that are detrimental to other aspects of my life can be really toxic, even if they're fun. I definitely avoid certain types of addictive video games and other hobbies I can get too sucked into at the expense of my health and success. Hope you figure it out!
I have played thought about taking the plunge into self employment myself, there are quite a few things about it that appeal to me. So would you say being self employed has helped you to figure out what your major passions were and help you be able to juggle them without burning out or being too scatterbrained?
I'd say it more forced me to, lol. Lots of people suggest a transition to self-employment rather than jumping of a ledge, and I fully agree there. I was already doing freelance work part time before I quit my day job, and it was still a tough transition in a lot of ways. When no one is looking over my shoulder, the willpower cost of 'getting stuff done' seems to go up, so it's even more important for my work to be something I enjoy doing as much as possible. For me, doing software development is nice because I can really get into what some people call 'flow' and I don't feel like I'm working at all, just fully into the task at hand. I definitely didn't have that as often doing various sysadmin stuff.