The last time I published a post was on June 3, 2022. It has been a weird feeling to have been away from writing for such a long time. As I write this post right now, I feel like I’m starting from scratch all over again; things seem very different now.
Before I start talking about why I had to take a break and the lessons I learned from the process, let me first tell you about what’s stopping me from writing.
I am a 23-year-old software Engineer working in one of the top service-based companies in the country. Fellow engineers would know that the IT industry has the potential to kill your soul sometimes; especially if you are working under strict superiors.
Over the past few months, I’ve been overwhelmed with more work than usual. Let me be very clear with this. I’m not putting the blame on work here. I know that there are thousands of others who go through the same path and in fact work much harder than I do.
But the truth is, the work environment is still quite new to me, and I don’t think I have adapted to it very well. I’m working on my first project ever, in my first job, and it has only been a few months since I started.
I’m used to having a little fun every day; I love to hang out with my friends, watch some tv shows, write articles, jam with my guitar, etc. But now, all of that has been replaced with work.
You may be thinking, well, nobody works 24 hours a day throughout the week, there can always be time to do something that you are passionate about. Yes, you are correct. But mental exhaustion is a real thing. I may have only worked for 9-10 hours a day on average, but its after-effects last a longer time.
Amidst the truckload of tasks I had to complete and the courses I had to finish, my mind had no room for focusing on my writing. Though these times have been tough, I’ve learned a few valuable lessons too.
Taking a break or relaxing is not a sign of weakness
In the hustle culture that we live in these days, people look at relaxation as a sign of weakness. I can take nothing away from the value of hard work and dedication, but I believe that people should also understand the importance of a peaceful mind.
I always used to worry about my medium page and personal blog being idle. I made a promise to myself a few months back to be more consistent with my writing, but it didn’t go as planned. It was extremely hard for me to accept the fact that I had lost all motivation to write.
But with time, I’ve realized that it’s okay to feel demotivated sometimes. I’ve understood that we can’t rely on motivation all the time. The last few months were merely a test of my discipline, and I have to admit, I failed.
I decided to accept the situation as it is and move on with life. It’s okay, maybe I needed the break. After all, writing is a hobby, it is not what I do for a living, and it’s a no-brainer for me to spend more time on the work that pays my bills.
I’m more focused on my mental peace now. If writing or reading feels like a chore or a self-imposed burden, I’m not gonna do it. Simple.
Focus on what’s the most important thing at the moment
Juggling too many balls at the same time is never a good idea. One of the scariest truths I found out about this is that when you try to focus on too many different things all at once, you might be just wasting your time and making a fool of yourself without even knowing about it.
It makes you feel like you are putting in work, but in reality, you’re just passing time.
In the past few months, I’ve tried learning different technologies, tried learning different skills, tried maintaining different blogs, tried posting different content on social media… and so on. After a certain point, I realized that I wasn’t giving my best at any of those things.
I understood that I have to choose what’s most important, and dedicate all my time and energy to it. When it comes to focusing, it’s always quality over quantity.
If you’ve had such experiences as well, feel free to share them in the comments! Thanks for reading
Wordsbykenaniah 