Random Ramblings #4

   Some weeks begin with a good brainstorming session, writing a list of all the foreseeable tasks one could hope to get done in a mere 7 days time. And it seems like a great idea, doesn't it? Making that list feels like you're preparing like a responsible, functional adult in this mad, pandemic, chaos-filled world. 
   And then Monday begins and it all goes downhill after that...

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Overwhelmed All Over Again

   It's strange how easy it is to plan too much in a week. I don't even use a whole 8x11 sheet of paper; the notebook is something like 5x8. Half the tasks are reasonable semi-daily habits I'm trying to encourage. The other half is Awdvocato ambitions. And let me tell you- my brain thinks I'm capable of a lot more than I actually get done in a week.

   Don't get me wrong, it's probably reasonable to believe I could get those tasks done in a week under certain circumstances. Such as having no other obligations to my family, no emergencies, and no forgotten or overlooked tasks that appear along the way. So, basically if life didn't happen, I'd be able to get it all done. Except that I wouldn't be alive, so... you know, double edged sword, I guess.
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Relaxing Creates MORE Ambitions...

   When I'm overwhelmed, the best course of action is to get the day's necessities done and then relax. It builds personal morale, recharging me for the next day to try again. If I don't do this, I'll run myself into the ground and sacrifice at least half my planned tasks in ways I later regret. 

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   So Monday, I decided to play some Minecraft for a bit to wind down... and then my brain wound itself back up with the idea of restarting my old Izanamikun channel with Minecraft "let's play" videos. 'It would work this time, people like Minecraft so much!' I've gotten pretty good at being a boss in the Overworld (enchanted all my shit the hard way, too), and a friend had recently asked if I considered doing Minecraft videos. So, of course my mind had to run away with the idea. 
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Kind Asperations

    This week, I had hoped to start adding in blog versions of the r/ videos for those that prefer to read over watch. I also hoped to begin a new series, "Kind Words,' recording a let's play of arguably the most compassionate game of all time. 

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   Also on the week's plan was creating and releasing a TikTok video of my Awdvocato character, starting a "best of" video to be released by the month, adding subtitles to all previous videos, and a whole slew of content surrounding the Kind Words series. In one week. Yeah, I'm not a very realistic planner.

   As far as I can tell, I will be lucky to get the usual stuff done, the subtitles, and maybe one or two videos converted to blog post. That's a more reasonable workload. The Kind Words and "best of" will have to wait. 

   All in all, I've learned more about my planning skills, though. I mean, they always sucked and I knew that, but learning to handle the overwhelm those unreasonable plans cause has been a difficult lesson. I think I've handled it alright so far, all things considered. And that means building reasonable planning skills is probably not too far off. So, this week's overwhelm is kinda a win!

   Have you experienced over-planning before? Maybe you dealt with it differently with better results. Leave a comment about it! I'd love to hear your strategies on planning, relaxing, or just handling overwhelm and preventing a meltdown. 

   I love you all, and I hope you've had a fantastic week yourselves!