Grief and Healing Earlier this week, I attended a Zoom novena Mass of a data science mentor’s father who passed away due to covid-19. My mentor and I did not exactly part in the most amicable of terms last year due to a misunderstanding but we got restored earlier this week. I am taking this tiny development in my personal relationships as a spark of good although it transpired in the most weird and saddest of circumstances.
Lately, I have been noticing a fluctuation in my productivity levels. Instead of fighting it, I began to try to understand it and work on it with a pinch of self-compassion and self-care. This month has been particularly challenging because I am in a career transition and I needed to meet both existing commitments and prepare for a new chapter at the same time. The simultaneous demands did require me to consolidate my entire life management system into a combination of a few technology tools: Cloud Storage for PARA system folder, Notion personal knowledge management system, and Monday boards for project tracking.
Curious Toddler Goes Back to School After postponing our eldest son’s supposed formal entry to school, my husband and I finally hopped on a call with the school administrator here in our village for their “new normal” enrichment programs for kids. For a good year, I was in denial and felt like we can postpone the schooling until normal days come back again. It does not look like normal days are coming back anytime soon.
The Covid-19 Casualties Come Closer to Home I was in the middle of my philosophy and ethics class in grad school last Saturday when I got the news that my remaining parent figure from my childhood is in the ICU, intubated and at 40% of the normal human oxygen levels. It’s highly likely that it’s covid-19 because of the classic symptoms though they are still waiting for her swab results.
One of the habits I picked up during this pandemic is the addiction to my fitness journey. When I started having a more active lifestyle through working out regularly, there are changes that I noticed. I gradually lost weight (and that’s a topic for another post entirely) and my proportions are leaner. But apart from that, I became stronger, I had less brain fog, and I was able to sustain my gains in muscle building and fat loss.
Energy for Social Media Detox Round 7 My approach to social media has changed when I began reading the work of Cal Newport, professor and ultimate practitioner of “digital minimalism.” His time saving tip of only spending 30 minutes per day on email is amazing. I am still unable to stop checking my email feverishly, but so far I have developed some good discipline in blocking Facebook and other social media websites on my devices when I really need to concentrate on a project.
The days of procrastination and delaying my dreams in life are finally over. And what better time to begin writing again? The pandemic has been harrowing to our third world country, but I made lemonades out of lemon with the extended lockdowns at home. I was running on the fast lane in the middle of last year after winning the NASA Space Apps Covid-19 challenge and taking on a Chief Marketing Officer role around 2 months after.