Where did the time gO?

I spent months thinking about starting a blog, but week after week, I had nothing to show for it. I blamed it on not being able to find the time, but that's an excuse. If we genuinely want to do something, we can always make time. 

So where did my time go?

I decided the only way to confront my productivity was to sit down and record exactly where and how I spent my time every week.

My days are colour-coded into blue for work, which cannot be changed. Green is for personal time that I'm happy with how it's spent, and red is for personal time that I want to change.

According to Instagram's time spent feature, I spent an average of 1 hour and 10 minutes on Instagram every day. I couldn't get the same data from X or Threads, but adding them together would equal ~2 hours of social media time spent daily. On top of 1-2 hours of TV every night, this equates to 15 hours of screen time per work week. 

So, turns out I do have the time. 15 hours/week to be exact. This is how much time I could be spending on my creative pursuits.

If only I could snap my fingers and say, ok from today onwards I will stop doom scrolling and be 15 hours more productive every day. But...habits are hard to change. 

Given that I do have the time, what are the goals that I want to prioritize spending my time on?

1. Work on my creative pursuits

2. Exercise

3. Go to tech events and learn what's happening in the market

I've planned out a timetable that I want to aspire towards. I want to spend 2 nights a week on creative projects, an hour of swimming to increase my exercise, and 1 night a week at a tech event because it's the best way for me to learn and see what's going on in the market. 

I have a plan, but I need to break some habits. Specifically, my screen habits.

A few things that I've enforced - 

1. I put my phone away in a drawer or a different room when I want to focus. It has to be far away enough for there to be time to turn around

2. No phone in the bedroom, so I never scroll before bed or the minute I wake up

3. I have a one-hour daily limit in my Instagram settings. It alerts me when I reach an hour. You can dismiss the alert, but the guilt will stay. 

These are my first steps to taking back control of my time.

From the beginning…

My life has been defined by a series of pivots. From Sydney to San Francisco and from Marketing to Engineering, each pivot has opened up a new world of possibilities.

Some may call it failing upwards because these pivots were all a result of my most profound failures. I went to London because a new manager put me on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) after 4 years at a marketing job I loved. I went into Engineering after being fired from a 6 person start-up, which had no idea what it was doing, but neither did I. I moved to San Francisco after being politically overpowered after I exerted too many opinions without the right back up. These moments, although painful, lit a fire under my ass like no other. The best thing I’ve done in my career is to harness my anger into motivation. When you’re pushed to the edge, and the worst has happened - what more is there to be afraid of?

After the recent turmoil and layoffs in Big Tech, my motivation has changed again. I can feel another pivot coming, but I’m unsure what it is. I hope writing will help me process and give direction to what’s next. I’ve never felt a stronger urge to be independent, create, and share.