Hellooooo! How are you doing? Yes, I mean you! 🙂

Well, the weather here in DC has turned deliciously cool as my fav season (autumn) ushered in, so I’m enjoying long walks and outdoor workouts. 🍃

In this issue, I share about how I’m letting go of get-it-done-now pressures, in order to protect my sense of balance and well-being. I also announce an exciting opportunity.

Remember: I narrate my newsletter stories on my Racket channel. Look for the link at the top of the story. Enjoy! 😘

Healthy Procrastination? 🤔

#WholeCare

Click to listen! 🎙

Meaning of ‘procrastinate’:
- To put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done (Webster’s)
- To delay doing something that you should do, usually because you do not want to do it (Oxford, which I’m partial to 😊)

Procrastination gets a really bad rap. There are so many sayings, proverbs and quotes cautioning us against the evils of procrastinating. Here are a few:

“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” - Pablo Picasso

“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” - Charles Dickens

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” - Abraham Lincoln

“A year from now you may wish you had started today.” - Karen Lamb

“A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.” - Proverbs 13:4

However, I have recently discovered how my efforts NOT to procrastinate can increase my stress levels and disturb my mental peace. One day, I had a number of errands to run. I completed some in the morning before work, and put the remaining tasks off until the hour before picking my kids from daycare.

When that hour came, I was tired - physically & mentally - from my workday. “But,” I told myself, “I will not procrastinate; I will run these errands like I promised myself.”

Even as I mouthed the words, my body responded with significant reluctance, and an ache began thumping ever-so-slightly at the back of my head. I have become very sensitive to how my body manifests stress, and I’m learning to respond and adjust accordingly. So I decided to procrastinate on my remaining errands, and my system calmed back down.

When it comes to being responsible with time, I think that balance is a vital aspect. There is such a thing as too focused, too on-it, too productive. In many ways, our society has become quite taken with hustle-culture, often to the detriment of our health, sense of wellbeing, and relationships. I believe that we can practice procrastination in ways that ultimately support our mental health more.

P.S. I did get to those errands the following morning. 😉

I’m Hosting Thunder Nerds This Saturday! 🎉

#TechCommunity

I was first introduced to the Thunder Nerds podcast when Frederick (one of the hosts) invited me on the show to talk about my work empowering women-in-Tech. I had a blast: Frederick was welcoming, laid-back, and the time just flew by as we discussed my journey becoming a developer, and how I was helping others do the same.

Well… I shall be back on ThunderNerds, this time as a guest-host! 💃🏽

On Satuday October 2nd 2021 at 1pm EST, Frederick and I shall have guest Shawn Wang on the show. Shawn is a prolific advocate in the software engineering space, and I’m really looking forward to speaking with him about his community-building, tech courses, and his work in Developer Experience (DX).

To tune into the show, bookmark this link. I hope to see you there! ❤️