February 2019 Blog Update
image credit: Pixabay
As I write this post, it's March 1, 2019 at 8 something AM, after being awake since 5:45 am. This is the February 2019 in which I discuss why I fell off the blog/vlog grid for the rest of the month and try to examine how I can do better in the next month. This is a stream of consciousness blog post, just to give any readers some idea of what has been a very hectic month in my life.
Where have I been?
As I posted in both my blog social media (see the links in the sidebar if you want to follow me), February has been mostly work and bar exam. This is not sustainable in the least bit: going from one mentally vigorous activity to another, then sleep and eat. That's a recipe for burnout and to be very honest, I can feel it creeping in. It's this lingering dread of not having enough time during the day and trying to keep up by doing even more. I've let exercise fall to the wayside save for the 5 minute breaks I try to have every hour at work just to have my body move. And the February 2019 Apple Activity Challenge. Challenges are a pretty good motivator to just get moving, from my experience.
For those who work in Accounting, and more specifically taxes, you'll know that the first four months of the year are decidedly a marathon. For those who don't know, From January 1st until April 15th, it's the period known as Tax Season, the busiest time of the year. It's also known as tax hell, pretty self-explanatory why. It's a season of deadlines and work that even the most planned out systems can still have a bit of trouble with. Now, normally, I'd have a much less stressful time, even with the added pressure and due dates. This year's Tax Season is different as smack-dab in the middle of it is the Puerto Rico Bar Exam. To say that this has been one hell of a wrench thrown into my machinery is an understatement.
It's been a cycle of work, then try to stuff in 3 to 4 hours of review (that end up being incredibly scattered at times), then head off to the exam reviews on the weekends. It's been less of a marathon and more like a series of long sprints in which I end up moving the finish lines even further, repeating the self-defeating circle.
What happens next?
Well for starters, starting March with a post is a step in the right direction. I had to wake up early, eat breakfast and study for an hour before I got here. And even then, I had to physically stop myself from bolting out the door to work. Because I had to stop and do something creative, like journalling and this post. The fast paced hustle, particularly of my generation and the next one, has us working so hard that we don't think about just stopping for a few minutes to do something that isn't the hustle. Below are two videos of two Youtubers I admire and always feel inspired to do something creative, about feeling overwhelmed and burn-out:
channel link: Matt D'Avella
channel: Thomas Frank
Another thing I'm doing is taking the whole bar exam week off save for Friday. Since I'm only taking the General Exam, it's two days of exams. This is my second attempt at the exam and I've already had the initial scare and pressure dissolve in the first round. We even call it rounds because of the possibility of retaking the exam due to the low pass rate (I've never actually seen it rise above 39%). It's very much like a boxing match: you get pummeled but you get back up and try again. I'll be back at work on Friday and I'll have a self care weekend on Saturday and Sunday.
By the time this gets posted, I'll probably be at work but I can honestly say that I managed to take some time to have this written up and posted on social media, and did something other than the work and study. I'll try to keep up this 5:30 am wake-up habit to see how it helps me in any way.
If you've had a marathon February or want to share a story, feel free to comment down below!
- SP
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