Internal Timelines

I’m pretty proud of myself for staying consistent for this long with my blog. I wrote a lot more when I first started it last summer, but clearly that wasn’t sustainable since I fell off the wagon. My long term goal is to keep posting at least once a week indefinitely but my short term goal is to make it through the end of the year without missing a scheduled post. I have faith that I’ll make things shake as long as I stay ahead of things. 

Mentally I like staying about a week ahead with my writing. In other words, if I aim to post a blog every Friday, I try to start the next one while there’s still a post in the pipeline. A few weeks ago, I got behind due to my waxing and waning creativity, but I started to feel a little bit of pressure to get something ready in a shorter amount of time. 

In reality, I operated with the same amount of time that I usually do, but since ideas weren’t flowing freely, I was a little worried that it would take me twice as long to actually produce a decent post. Because hindsight is 20/20, looking back reveals that I wasn’t rushed, pressured, and my quality of writing didn’t suffer because of a different writing “timeline.” 

While some internal timelines are beneficial, some definitely cause more damage than good. For example, an internal timeline can let us know when it’s time to work out again or when it’s time to push ourselves to get a little bit better each day. An internal timeline can become detrimental if we’re using that timeline to compare to other people’s highlight reel. We’re all human so we all wonder if other people are going through the same things at the same pace as we are. More often, the answer just isn’t that simple. 

Most of the time, we have to realize the timelines we place on ourselves are in fact ridiculous. We feel that we should be at a certain point within our careers, hobbies, and even familial life based on internal pressures that may or may not be legitimate concerns. Sometimes, it’s better to focus on the bigger picture instead of over analyzing miniscule details. I would say that’s one of the biggest things that helps me stay calm and able to adapt.

I try not to sweat the small things. While there are definitely certain small issues that trigger me to incredible depths, they are few and far in between. For the normal daily struggles of life as an adult, I try not to let things get me too worried or shaken. Of course, that’s usually easier said than done, but it’s all about consciously trying to keep a positive attitude no matter what. 

Signed, 

Jessica Marie