All Work and No Play

Hey GwenPal! <3

The leaves have started to change, so here I am (as promised) with another letter.

My recent days have been filled with reading, writing, more reading, MORE writing, and the occasional internet rabbit hole. My favorite topic so far has been the beef between Megan thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj. If you’re not familiar with the whole situation, I would recommend watching chronically online girl Nicole Rafiee’s video on the lore here. It's as informative as it is entertaining, so even if you know quite a bit about the beef already, the video is still worth the watch.

I was very drawn to the story, not because I live for the drama (which… I plead the 5th), but because I highly admired Megan’s response to the whole situation. Despite the odds stacked against her, including but not limited to:

• Getting SHOT IN THE FOOT by Tory Lanez

• MULTIPLE ARTISTS (like Drake and, obviously, Nicki Minaj) MOCKED her for getting assaulted with a firearm.

• Nicki stans (or fans, for my older audience) leaked the location of her MOTHER’S GRAVE.

And she’s STILL trucking along, putting her best foot forward (Megan…IamsosorryIhadto). She’s educated (with a bachelor’s degree in health administration 😍), successful (THREE GRAMMYS!! THREE!!!), AND she’s hosting the next MTV Music Awards. What a woman.

I can only imagine how hard it’s been for her (I imagine her diss track HISS only tells a fraction of the story), but seeing how she still has momentum after going through so much shit motivates me to keep going.

Work In Progress

I do have quite a few works currently in the wings. From the start of the fall semester to writing for a few Word Tonic anthologies (hell, even this newsletter), it feels like no matter where I turn there are obligations

The sexual tension between me and watching just one more YouTube video is stronger than Hercules. The actual Greek legend, not the Disney version. Y’know the demigod son of Zeus who eventually went berserk and murdered his wife and children, courtesy of Hera’s wrath. (Technically the Roman version is Hercules, the Greek version is actually spelled Heracles… just thought you should know).

Anyway, the point is it has been hard for me to focus on getting my work done lately. I’m sure part of it is my perfectionism manifesting as procrastination, but I’ve noticed that there are factors that either raise or lower the barrier to entry for starting a project:

1. Time of day: the earlier in the day I start on a project (school or otherwise), the faster I get it done. Although, the best time I’ve found to start something new is at 10 in the morning; it’s early enough for me to feel productive, but gives me a few hours to properly prepare for my day—if I get up that that time.

2. Brain mode: It is infinitely easier for me to start a task when it is in the same vein as the task I did prior. For example, if I am working on homework, it is easier for me to transition to another school-related activity (emailing my advisor, working ahead in class, etc.) than it is for me to transition from homework to a different activity altogether (like, say, writing a newsletter… hypothetically, of course).

3. Working in bulk: It is easier for me to do work all at once than it is for me to do it in installments. If I’m doing homework, I dedicate the whole day to doing school-related activities. I don’t force myself to do work in multiple different spheres in one day because it causes me to switch brain modes too often. Instead, I decide “I’m gonna do this week and next week’s homework so I can spend more time doing other things.”

4. Taking regular breaks: I’ve realized that I subconsciously picked up the limiting belief that I must work non-stop to be successful and create good work. I literally feel guilt whenever I decide to stop banging my head against the keyboard and do a different activity. Sometimes, I’m tempted to just “power through it,” but when I don’t give myself proper time to rest, everything suffers. My sleep schedule, the quality of my work, and my mental stability rely on my brain to be at a fully functioning capacity. I can’t expect to work forever. I’m not a robot, I’m a 20-something-year-old teenage girl(?), I gotta treat myself like it.

One wonderful reprieve I have from my daily self-inflicted torture is being a beta reader for one of my best friend’s book series. It’s a series she’s been dreaming up for over 11 years, and I’m grateful that she decided to put the effort into developing it. It follows the story of a young (black!!! She’s BLACK!!! She looks like ME!!!) woman and her struggle with being the chosen one. Without giving too much away, she ultimately has to decide whether to use her powers for good or give in to her evil impulses. Though she’s just 18, the fate of the world rests in her hands. Will she make the right choice?

I am honored to have an inside look into this beautiful new fantasy world full of gods and gore (with a black woman as the main character! Did I mention that?) and see how it grows from its infancy to its publishing. If you’re interested in the development of this story and want to receive updates on its development, you can follow Jo’s Instagram (I’d recommend it).

Alas, as I bring this week’s edition of my own personal shit show to a close, I want to leave you (yes you, specifically) with this:

These next two weeks, I implore you to deliberately schedule time for yourself. Do something you’ve been telling yourself you’d do when you “have more time.” The time is now. This is your homework assignment, due September 8th.

Ah, finally my summer class will be done by then, I think as the looming pile of fall coursework grows larger. At least I’ll have one less thing to worry about.

Don’t procrastinate your me time. The work can wait.

Thank you for reading! ❤️ 

Your GwenPal,

Gwyn Yvere.