Productivity Begins Where Procrastination Ends Part II

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You might be wondering, "Is there really a need for part II?" For three valid reasons, yes.

First, the original post was a surprise hit. Yay!

Second, so much has happened since then and I haven't blogged about any personal thoughts for a long time.

Third, and most important reason of all, this is my blog. So if you can't deal with it, better GTFO.

So a lot has happened since I decided to "officially quit" procrastination, "straighten out" my writing career, and be serious in earning money. Well, for the most part, I did lay low on procrastinating. Since I easily burn out in writing articles, I thought, "Hey, why not outsource these boring articles to other writers?"

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And so I enlisted the help of oDesk and hired different writers to do the job for me. At the time, all I did was apply for jobs, get interviewed, hire writers and assign them to write different articles, check them for errors, then finally submit them to clients. If you think the job was easy, boy, you're hell of a lot wrong.

Surprisingly, it was even more stressful than writing the articles myself. Why? Well, lousy writers + demanding clients + looming deadlines + limited time = STRESS. What's more, I lost more than $100 because of a fly-by-night client. Either I'm not good at outsourcing or I'm not just good at outsourcing.

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So I finally got tired of all the stress and pressure and decided to get only high paying articles and write them myself. That and a proofreading and formatting job are enough to make me earn serious cash. But, as usual, I'm never contented with a "minimum" income. Heck, if I want to get rich, a mere P10,000-P30,000 per month is never enough.

Anyway, though outsourcing promises a hefty sum of money, doing the writing tasks myself and outsourcing just to one writer is a lot less than stressful. What's more, I even find time to blog, relax, and have fun with my friends. Besides, I think it's about time that I rely on my writing skills alone.

College Friends: L to R: Lee, Yves, Norlyn, Roselle, Wjoemark, and ME!

Highschool Friends: L to R: ME, Malen, Joy, Nipe

I know that time will come that I will run out of writing gigs. So while I'm getting busy with writing for clients, I also find time to write on my very first eBook novel. At first, I wanted to write a romantic-comedy plot. But then, I found it suddenly boring and dull. Probably because, I still haven't found any inspiration for that. So I resorted to suspense/fantasy/thriller. Why? Because this genre really captivates and entertains the readers well, given that it's written with great taste like these books. 

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

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When The Wind Blows by James Patterson

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The Donovan Creed Series by John Locke

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I've finished reading Angels & Demons and When the Wind Blows. And both novels had me wanting for more. I wanted to read the whole Donovan Creed Series. I've just read some excerpts and as expected, it totally had me clamoring for more. Sadly, I can't purchase the series yet as I haven't gotten around the payment method yet since Amazon doesn't allow Paypal.

Anyway, the authors of these books inspire me to explore my writing skills more, to learn what needs to be learned, and to go after what I really wanted from the start - to be a full-pledged writer and take credit for everything that I've written. Someday, I know I'll get there.

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Plus, I intend to take an online Psychology course. In fact, I just enrolled in a free ten-week course. After I finish this, I'll take up a paid course. I'm sure it will fire up my writing career even more and provide  spice on my internet marketing efforts...:)

With that, I end this post with a couple of productivity quotes that both you and I can use...

"Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort." - Paul J. Meyer

"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of." - Bruce Lee 

"Words may show a man's wit, but actions, his meaning." - Benjamin Franklin 

"The path to success is to take massive determined action." - Tony Robbins 

"Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year, and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!" - Tony Robbins

The Intersecting Roads

"There are two ways to go when you hit that crossroads in your life: There is the bad way, when you sort of give up, and then there is the really hard way, when you fight back. I went the hard way and came out of it okay. Now, I'm sitting here and doing great." --Matthew Perry

There comes a time in our lives that we are presented with intersecting roads that we have to choose from in order to continue with our journey. When you reach that moment, what will you choose? The new and unfamiliar path that no one in your circle or anybody you know has ever walked on? Or the conventional, tried and tested path that almost everyone you know has sauntered into? Will you reach the end of the road you chose? Or will you go back, change path, and start your journey all over again?

The truth is, we come across these roads more than once, in different aspects of our lives. And most of the time, we deal with them in two ways: either we go for it no matter how bumpy the road gets, or we give up and stop midway through the journey.

As for me, I'd rather finish the road to see what lies ahead and give myself a chance to explore the possibilities than to just give up and call it off altogether. It's a little intimidating since the road that I'm treading on right now is one that nobody in my inner circle has ever walked on. I have no qualms, though. Because I'm willing to take chances and risk it, knowing that the end result will be worth it.

Besides, it's not everyday that you're given a clear shot to prove what you got and show the world what you can do. My motto in life is really simple, cliche even:

"Life is too short to waste on the things that you don't want to do. Too fast-paced to let go of your ambitions. Too precious to feel sorry for yourself. And too sweet to live with resentment and lamentation."

And as David Frost put it,

"Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally."

How about you? Have you found your intersecting roads yet?=)

Productivity Begins Where Procrastination Ends

"Procrastination may result in stress, a sense of guilt and crisis, severe loss of personal productivity, as well as social disapproval for not meeting responsibilities or commitments. These feelings combined may promote further procrastination. While it is regarded as normal for people to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning." -- Wikipedia

I used to be a procrastinator, a super-mega-uber-chronic procrastinator. I usually put off the things that should be on top of my priority list. I could even go for weeks without doing anything productive. And most of the time, I wasn't even aware that I was procrastinating. The last thing I knew, the clocks striked 12 midnight, and I haven't accomplished any project. Not a single f*ck was given to my priority list. No, sir!
How do I even wind up procrastinating? It always starts like this......

Uhm, excuse the last part. It is a usual scenario in my dreams since my love life at the moment is more like this.....

I know right?

Anyway, back to the topic: I don't even remember the time I started procrastinating. Maybe even before I started working, when I was still in college. I recollect having my term papers done only on the very last minute. I loved cramming to death and pulling an all-nighter just to finish them off. Fortunately for me, I always manage to deliver excellent content despite all the rush.

See? Procrastination isn't that bad, especially if you do it like a boss, noh?
Not by a long shot. The truth is, fooling around may get you through schooling but not in the real world - life after college. This is especially the case if you're a freelancer like me. You see a freelancer can earn a hefty sum of money if they work their ass of. Otherwise, they will find themselves stuck with mind-boggling, piled-up bills to pay (like me.) So a couple of procrastinating months later, I realized that freelancing is not the job for me. Why? I hate doing the same thing over and over again. And I get bored easily. Then the term "internet marketing" came to mind...

I didn't immediately stop procrastinating. It just sort of lessened a little bit. I started being productive again but at a very slow pace. Then a couple of weeks later, reality bitch-slapped me in the face. And boy, was it painful! That's when I knew that I had to stop fooling around and get down to business once and for all. I began to pick up speed. So the last couple of days saw me from being a chronic procrastinator to becoming a busy bee..

I've been a busy bee for only a couple of days. And it felt really great. I finally get to sleep without feeling any guilt that I put my priority list off. How did I do it? All it took was balance; prioritize what needs to be done first and put off the stuff of no importance. It was actually easy, especially if you put your heart into it.

Besides, who doesn't want to be productive, when it can lead you to....

Of Lessons Learned and Quest for Change

“You change for two reasons. Either you learn enough that you want to or you’ve been hurt enough that you have to.”

2011 hadn't been good to me, career-wise. For the most part of the year, I was stuck in a rut. Why, you say? Well, I've always been a procrastinator and lazy-ass. I was always procrastinating, wasting time on worthless things, and doing minimal work. I think lazy is an understatement. I was a couch potato! Though I didn't spend the whole year doing nothing. I just lost momentum during the latter months. And I'm not proud of it. But before we get into that, let me tell you my story....

The first quarter of the year saw me getting down from the corporate ladder to the online job route, on March specifically. I resigned my post as the Corporate Secretary of this network marketing company and left Manila to go back to my hometown - Olongapo. It was also the time that I got serious in trimming down, which turned out to be successful since I did shed a great deal of weight. (But let's talk about that some other time.) Anyway, I was more than relieved when my mom told me that it's time to leave the ill-fated company and settle back in Olongapo. Boy, was that the happiest day of my life (LQL.) It was really a relief since that company did nothing but bring lots and lots of tears. It was that company that really exposed me to GRAFT and CORRUPTION. Yes, folks, corruption doesn't solely exists in the government. It is everywhere. And sad to say, we fell victim to it.

The 2nd quarter didn't immediately see me concentrating in online job. I spent the couple of months getting back to direct selling - the H&B. It was fun at first, but I came to realize that direct selling is not my cup of tea. That's when I started to become a freelance writer in The On Demand Global Workforce - oDesk.

3rd quarter came and I felt great. For the first time in my 24 years of existence, I earned serious cash without relying on my mom's efforts. I was on a roll during the first few months. Every week, I withdrew money from my ATM card and happily handed them over to my mom. She's in charge of the budgeting after all. It felt really good to be able to share on our daily expenses. I was beaming with pride. I mean, that's an accomplishment in itself. But then, some good things in life never last. In this case, my persistence and dedication.

And there goes my only source of income on the last quarter. Don't get me wrong. I earned a couple of bucks, but not enough to make both ends meet. From being a provider, I got demoted to being a dependent. That's the time that I started procrastinating and doing unimportant stuff and spending money on worthless things. Oh, I'm aware of it. That I'm sure of. Enough for me to feel ashamed of myself, but still not enough to take proper action.

So I procrastinated, and procrastinated, and procrastinated even more. A week would pass without me doing anything. And when it did, all I could do was shake my head and blame my idleness for it. Coincidentally, our financial woes were piling up at an all-time high. The whole time I sat, feeling so stupid and still doing nothing. The consequence? I lost a total of six job offers, all of which pay pretty well.

Some of life's lessons are learned at the worst times. And most of the time, we only change because the situation is already painful enough to bear. True story! Christmas and New Year came that the only gifts I managed to buy are for my immediate family. And it took desperate measures to do so. And so this year, 2012, I got a hold of myself and picked up the momentum I threw last year. I've finally realized what I wanted to do all along - brave the world of Internet and Social Media Marketing. And that's my quest for change!

Internet marketing can be a little intimidating. And it's a pretty big world out there. But I intend to succeed. I'm willing to take baby steps because I know it will lead me to where I'm supposed to go. As the fortune cookie says,

"Don't be afraid to take that big step, Success comes from taking calculated risks."

And I'm not afraid. In fact, I'm really excited and I'm very much ready to take on the world of IM. But there's still a big room for improvement. And I have so much to learn. With the right attitude, mindset, and hard work, I know success is just within my reach!

With that, I'll share these words,

"You gotta hurt in order to know. Fall in order to grow. Lose in order to gain. Because most of life's lessons are learned in pain."

I hope you learn your lessons and find that quest for change just like I did! =)

Life With A Jar And A Cup Of Coffee

Every once in a while, I see inspirational stories and words of wisdom from 9gag. Yep, you read it right. 9gag, a highly popular comedy website known for having funny trolling posts, also provides serious stuff every now and then. Though, my take is that those posters were bloggers from Tumblr (that blogging site is notorious for being cheesy and mushy.) And they visit 9gag to spread their emo-ness or whatever you call that.

Anyhow, here is the inspirational story that I want to share with you....

"When life seems to be too much to handle, just remember two things: a jar and two cups of coffee."

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty jar.
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He, then, asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full.
The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table
And poured the entire contents into the jar,
Effectively filling the space between the grains of sand.
The students laughed, "Our life is just like this jar."

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided,
"I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things
- your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions
- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.
The sand is everything else -the small stuff.
If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled,

"I'm glad you asked.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
There's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."