Amidst the wide dearth of productivity content available to us online in the form of books, blogs, videos, and seminars, there is a fundamental assumption that is common amongst almost all of them: that people have free time in their daily schedules and that most people are freelancers, with flexible timings and schedules. Most of the productivity content found around us deals with and focuses on combating procrastination and boredom. While these issues are serious, and some of the contents address and fix them, they don’t portray the full spectrum of issues that arise with our work and work hours. So, what can be done by those people working full day jobs when they have just three or four hours at the maximum at their disposal to fulfill their dreams and passions? It is possible to accomplish it, and it can be done without losing our sanity and being unhappy and exhausted. All it takes is a bit of proper planning and rescheduling of daily tasks to fit our passions in. One needs to start small.
Having a Systematic Schedule
My first few days of working a full-time job and two part-time ones were extremely rough. It was incredibly difficult to do justice to all three of them, and my performance steadily declined, as did my sleep, personal and social life. Such a work-life was not feasible, to say the least, and was not sustainable for every day of every week. Having a day off after three weeks of work would make my anxiety skyrocket, and often, that anxiety transformed itself into fear. Therefore, such a system was not sustainable in any way.
So instead of backing out, I decided to explore my options and find a way of balancing the tightrope. The solution had to be as systematic as possible.
This is where the importance of maintaining a calendar comes in. I marked a twelve-hour window and labeled it as “Work.” This time accounted for everything between waking up, commuting to the workplace, spending time at the office, and commuting back home. And then, after a gap of about an hour or two, I marked the next three hours as “Work” as well. This was when I would try out the fun stuff. These work hour intervals also accounted for everyday things like listening to podcasts or music, eating meals, and spending time with family. These intervals acted as mind setters to train your mind to focus on work.
The key here is managing our procrastination. It can be a fickle thing and could inflate the size and scope of a job when not kept in check. It can trick us into postponing work that seemingly takes long hours but can be completed in an hour or two. The job will invariably be completed because the schedule is tightly packed, and the brain is focused on meeting the objectives. This is a scientifically proven phenomenon called Parkinson’s Law, which says that “work expands to fill the time allotted to complete it.” If a person gives themselves three hours to complete a job, it will get done within that time. But if a person wants it done in just two, it will get done within that time frame, with the same level of quality, more or less. So, the trick is to be insular with our calendars. Pre-planning each work will incentivize us to finish the job and schedule every hour of the day.
Doing Something One Loves
A person is at a huge advantage if their side-hustle happens to be one of their passions or if they are working towards their dreams. If that is the case, their work will feel less like a chore and more about doing something that brings them happiness and contentment.
Taking a Day Off
It is impossible for a human being to push through a seven-day workweek. Fatigue would quickly set in, and one would break, physically and emotionally, in no time. The human body and brain aren’t designed to take that much of a continuous load. Therefore, it is a necessity that one has two days or at least a day off where they are not working and giving their mind and body the rest it deserves to recharge their batteries.
The Importance of Sleep
Physical rest is perhaps the essential part of healthy work culture. Even if one is mentally tired and burnt out, they would be surprised at how much they can push through with a healthy circadian rhythm. This is because burnout usually begins with physical fatigue. And if one enjoys what they are doing, the work can be doubled or even triple depending on the person’s threshold limit. Having a healthy circadian rhythm can be quite the challenge, but if achieved, it would work wonders for the quality and quantity of the output.
Maintaining a Routine
The key element of a healthy and proper work-life culture is sustainability. Most of the side jobs we undertake aren’t to be taken as temporary, as the brain is often wont to do. The laid-back and procrastinating approach might work well (not always mind) for a university or college student, but not for anyone with proper day jobs. To pursue dreams, one must have a good routine and workflow to get the desired output over several weeks, months, or even years.
There must also be other healthy habits like exercising, maintaining a balanced diet, etc., things that keep the mind and body sharp. It also acts as a method for resetting oneself after a busy day.
Remembering the End Goal
Work has always been hard and will always be. Pursuing many jobs (self-imposed and otherwise) simultaneously is exponentially so. It is very much possible to lose the element of why we were doing this, which can and will put us in a mental crisis. This is why it is very important to understand why we are doing what we are doing. We must see the light at the end of the tunnel to continue walking toward it. The pursuit of passion can be an incredibly rewarding experience, and it is why we are willing to sacrifice so many things to bear the fruit of the reward, to bask in the light at the end of the tunnel. Short-term sacrifices will most certainly lead to long-term fulfillment. Here at JobsPivot, we offer career opportunities from reputable firms spanning across different states in Malaysia.JobsPivot effectively connects employers with the right talents.to find Part time jobs in Malaysia visit us.
